A Love that Consumes
by blue-blaze7
Summary: He compelled her to forget their first meeting, and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything? Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. Delena - longer summary inside NO SIRE BOND
1. Chapter 1 Picking up the pieces

A/N - Thank you all for checking this story out, just came to my mind after the finale, but it took me this long and alot of encouragement from friends to decide to post it, and I wanted to be sure that I was enough chapters written, so I can update readily. Please review, I love reviews it's what keeps me writing. Thank you and enjoy :)

**Summary:** "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He compelled her to forget their first meeting, and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything?Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. How will that impact S/E and how will that help D/E. Delena story.

**Pairing:** Damon and Elena

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or its characters.

**_Thank you goes to Kate2008 for beta work :)_**

* * *

**A Love that Consumes**

**Chapter 1 – Picking up the pieces**

Damon felt like he was in a definite losing battle with Ric, he was just too strong, and Damon's mind was reeling from Elena blowing him off once again for his baby bro. The words she spoke, "maybe if I would have met you first" running over and over again through his mind. They HAD! They had met first he kicked himself mentally for compelling that memory away. But, how could he have forgotten that he had met her first. He had to focus, he had to fight. He struggled to his feet, and put all he had left into the fight with Ric, he knew it paled in comparison with how strong Ric had become. But he wasn't going to give up. When he found himself starting to get too much of the upper hand he began to panic. Damon grabbed on to the vampire.

Damon heard him gasp. "What's happening…"

"No Ric."

"What's happening?" Damon struggled to keep him on his feet, not out of weakness, but out of sheer disbelief. Damon's mind was racing as he held Ric in his arms, he shook him, unsure what was happening, he watched on in horror as his friend turned gray and stiff, and died in his arms.

"No, Ric – you can't be dead, you can't be dead." His voice broke. "You can't be dead – "Tears slipped unnoticed down his cheeks. "No…if you're dead… Elena!" He jumped to his feet taking Ric's body with him; he put him in his trunk, and slammed it shut.

"She can't be dead." He choked out and he tore out of the parking lot, breaking all laws of traffic. The only thing he cared about was getting to Elena. He had nothing to live for without Elena. And she couldn't be dead. That wasn't possible. He could hear his car's engine protesting as it hit the 200mph mark.

* * *

Stefan set Matt down on the shore, and dove back into the icy river. As he got closer to Matt's truck, he could see Elena floating at the top of the cab. Alarmed, he swam down. She can't be dead… can't be. Tears were falling uncontrollably once he laid Elena next to Matt on the shore. Matt was just lying there, but he was breathing on his own. Elena wasn't. Stefan turned her on her side, beating on Elena's back to get the water out. Then he turned her back over bit into his wrist and held it to her mouth. She was unresponsive; her heart was no longer beating. He started CPR.

"Stefan?" Matt was coughing up water and staring at them. "Elena!" He got up too quickly, and crashed to his knees. "What did you do to her?" Matt choked out he crawled over to where Stefan was he still hadn't answered.

"CPR?" Stefan growled. Matt nodded, and Stefan traded with him at her head.

"Did you call 911?" Matt asked looking for his phone. But it was water logged, and wouldn't even turn back on.

"I can get her there faster, get in my car!" Stefan demanded over his shoulder. Matt slowly got to his feet, and with great effort pushed himself to Stefan's car.

When they got to the Mystic hospital, he was immediately admitted. He could hear the doctor's working on Elena a room over. Why did he even take her away? It was stupid; Elena was dead because of him. Not being able to stop himself he started to cry. He could hear when they gave up and stuck his fist in his mouth to keep from screaming out. He heard Stefan fall to his knees, and choke out sobs of his own. "No…no, no Elena…No." The vampire sobbed. It wasn't long until he heard a crash, and all was quiet.

He shifted to take the curtain in his hand. He only saw her lying on the cot, a mess of medical equipment on the floor, Stefan had left in fury. Then he saw Dr. Fell rush in." Her face was pale. She saw him. "Matt where's Damon?" She asked in a rushed voice.

"Damon?" His voice came out hoarse, and he started to cough "He's miles away – he, Stefan's here somewhere." Matt closed his eyes coughing some more holding his chest. "Dr Fell –"Matt was struggling to breath, and she had to get Elena out of there before she woke up. She pushed the call button on Matt's bed, and told them to get to Matt's room stat. She was starting CPR on Matt when the Emergency Staff with the ER doctor arrived.

* * *

She quickly snuck away, and grabbed Elena's bed, rolling it out of there. She had help once she was down at the Morgue. She turned when she heard the door open, and Stefan walked in. He looked paler than normal.

"I got your message." He said in an emotionless voice. He looked detached. "I'd just as soon get the hell away from here, before I do something inexcusable." Meredith took in his swollen eyes, and started slowly. He was shutting off his emotions; she had to reach him before he did that completely.

"When Jeremy brought Elena in here her injuries were severe. I had to help her-" She was cut off by an interruption from Stefan.

"What?"

"I helped her." Stefan gasped, and stared blinking several times, and then his face changed from emotionless to pure horror. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. She wasn't going to admit it but she was scared of him.

"I need you to compel the staff to stay away from here." She explained, quietly. He nodded, and left the room with her. He compelled the hospital staff around to ignore the room she was in, but he knew that it would only last for as long as no one new came into the area. The fresh blood in his system allowed him to compel more than he'd normally be able to do on his regular diet. He could he feel his blood lust growing, but he was able to control it. Now that he knew that Elena was – no he didn't want to think like that he could very well be dead any moment now as well. When he was done compelling the staff, he walked back to the morgue and sat next to the metal cot.

* * *

Jeremy came down the stairs talking on his phone. "Matt where are you guy's you should have been back by now." He stopped cold at who was in front of him.

"Jeremy." Alaric said quietly.

"Look, haven't you done enough?" He asked exhaustedly dropping his phone from his ear. "…And how did you even get in here?"

"I don't know…I just wanted to say goodbye, and it kind of happened." Ric said gently.

"Ric?" Jeremy's eyes widened, and Alaric stepped closer, nodding slightly.

"I just want you to know…that I will always be here to look after you Jeremy, you'll never be alone…ok." He paused, smiling sadly. "I promise."

"I don't understand…"Jeremy paused staring at Ric, what was he saying and then the feeling he got when there were ghosts there hit him full force. "Oh my god! You're a ghost…but if you're dead…that means' Elena…" He stared at Ric in horror. Ric only nodded in confirmation. Jeremy slowly backed away, tears coming to his eyes. "I have to – I"

"She's at the hospital now, Stefan's with her." Alaric explained.

"Where's Damon?"

"He's alive, and probably on his way we were fighting when I-" Ric only remembered the last part of the fight. "He was pretty upset-"

Jeremy stared at him. "Okay." And they left the house.

* * *

Damon tore into the parking lot of Mystic General, barely even parking his car. He ran for the ER doors. He didn't know why he'd come here. He was pulled in this direction by some unknown force.

As he rounded the corner he saw a Meredith talking to another doctor. "Where is she?" He rasped Meredith hurried forward, trying to stop him.

"Dam –"

"Where is she?" He said bitingly, barely concealing his anguish, he could feel himself trembling. This could not be happening. Elena couldn't be gone. Elijah once told him eternity was a long time for her to hate him. That he could deal with, but _forever_ was a long time. It was soul destroying to live without the one that you love. It was like part of his heart had died and it was wrenching him apart, piece by shattering piece. It was a wound too great to heal.

He had lived 146 years, not knowing the truth about Katherine, he'd thought he loved Katherine but he hadn't loved her entire being. Elena challenged him, made him a better person, brought out his humanity and he wanted to be good for her. He loved her, maybe too much. When you love someone the way he loved Elena. It consumed you. Losing her would destroy him.

Meredith was staring at Damon, her mouth open in a silent 'o' as she read the look in his eyes and face. This was a man a creature, a monster that she was educated all her life to believe was soulless. But the man, the vampire, standing before her was falling apart before her very eyes.

"No, Damon. Wait" Meredith held up her hands. She wasn't going to stop him from going to Elena. He tried to dodge her.

"Where is she?" He said again.

"Wait! You need to know! When Jeremy brought Elena in here earlier tonight her injuries were worse than I let on. It wasn't a concussion. It was a cerebral hemorrhage, bleeding in the brain." She explained, watching as Damon's eyes held hers.

"What are you saying?" His grief-stricken mind was trying to put the pieces together. But before he could solve the mystery she continued on rapidly.

"He was so worried, I didn't want to tell him but I – I helped her, _she needed my help_." Her eyes were pleading for him to understand.

Once he did, his heart started to splinter. "You what?"

Meredith saw his face crumble before her, to see visible emotions from him, from this being, was almost unheard of from the stories she heard growing up. Yet here he was fighting his emotions, not fighting to keep them on his face, but fighting to hold the monumental anguish that was threatening to crush him, she held a hand to his chest.

"What the Hell did you do?" He choked tears making the blue of his eyes stand out even more. Every part of him wanted to kill Meredith at this moment, Elena didn't want this "She didn't want this…" He was shaking his head, anguish written all over his face, his lip was trembling. "Where's Stefan?" Damon asked bitterly. Rage was easier for him to handle than that of the emotion of losing Elena. If he contemplated that for long he'd lose it.

"I – follow me." Damon followed closely on her heels. "Stefan's in the room with her, he brought her in with Matt…" She paused realizing Damon wouldn't care about Matt at this point. "We have to get her out of here the police are here asking questions, and if the counsel shows up…I'll cover for you but get her home, _get her safe_." Meredith paused at the bottom of the steps stopping him again with a hand to his chest. "She doesn't know she had vampire blood in her system, and in reality I only gave her enough to heal her, it may not be enough for her to come back." Damon stared at her, his mind reeling as they came up to the door of the morgue. It was all too real now. He choked back tears that threatened to fall.

"You left her in the morgue?" Damon asked incredulously, Meredith turned to look at him, he was broken.

"You need to get her out of here Damon." He only nodded and pushed her aside. He opened the door, and hesitated a moment.

Elena gasped and sat up looking around the room she was in, it was cold but it didn't feel cold to her. The room was dimly lit, and it looked sterile. It terrified her. She started shaking uncontrollably, but then she heard a shuffle and turned in that direction.

"Stefan?" fear lodged in her throat as he came closer. What was he even doing here? The last thing that she could remember was him in the car with her, and getting his revenge on Klaus. He had fed her his blood, and was threatening to send her over the Wickery Bridge, the same bridge that her parents had died on. But she had thought that he had stopped. He was reaching for her, and she pushed away quickly. "Stay away from me!" Tears stood out in her eyes and spilt down her cheeks, confusion and then despair filled Stefan's eyes. Elena pushed further away from him, her back eventually hitting the wall. Stefan stepped closer.

"Elena, I'm not here to h-hurt you, y-you're in transition, your mind is confused." She glared at him. Then turned her head towards the door when it opened and Damon walked hesitantly in, he looked terrified and his eyes filled with tears when he saw her.

"Damon…?" Elena started to cry. Damon was by her side instantly, he stood a moment hesitating, the tears in his eyes making his eyes bluer if that was even possible.

"…Elena." He choked out, before he seemed to remember Stefan.

"Damon, she's confused." Stefan began to say, but Damon only narrowed his eyes glaring at his brother, with a rage that she had never seen and it terrified her, she knew she had to stop him before he did something he'd regret.

He started to move towards Stefan, but Elena took his hand in hers and squeezed. "Stefan, just leave I don't want you here." Elena ordered. Stefan hesitated a moment and then flashed out of there. Damon was looking down at the metal cot, his eyes closed, his lips were trembling slightly.

"Damon?" She said it softly under her breath but she knew that he'd heard her. He stepped closer, a single tear slipped down his cheek. Elena cupped his face with her hand, while Damon fought to keep his emotions in check. But it appeared to be a losing battle.

"Elena." He gasped, and buried his face in her hair, wrapping his arms around her. Her arms immediately went around him and she clutched his jacket. She could feel his tears through her shirt, on her neck even if it was already damp.

"No, no, no, Elena, no…"He cried. Elena stroked his hair, and he sat up after a minute looking a little ashamed at his loss of composure. But she smiled at him and he leaned in and kissed her forehead, before resting his forehead against hers. When she broke, he gently engulfed her into his strong arms. She cried into his chest, feeling his hand gently running light circles on her back.

"Damon, I didn't want this…I" She felt him nod.

"I know, Elena , I know…"He murmured. He held her until she was cried out. Her memory was slowly returning, but it was in bits and pieces.

"Why am I so confused?" She asked quietly.

"How so?" Damon asked sitting back, his eyes were dry now. But they were still filled with grief. He reached forward, brushing a strand of damp hair from her eyes. Now that he could think straight he was surprised that she wanted him there and not Stefan.

"When I woke up the last thing I could remember was Stefan driving me over Wickory Bridge, but I know now that he didn't it's just everything is so jumbled in my head." He cupped her cheek like he had done so many times before, brushing tears away with the pads of his thumbs only for them to be replaced quickly by more. His eyes were open and vulnerable she could see into the depths of them.

"It's part of the transition, things will start to come back, memories that were compelled away, will return. I had the confusion too, it's all part of the body's way of dealing with the turn." His voice was gentle.

It was so not like Damon, his soft touch comforted her, a memory of that night hit her full force and she began trembling she'd hurt him, and yet here he was.

"Damon" her voice anxious, she reached for him desperately. His face held only love and concern.

"Shh…it's okay, I'm not going anywhere." He placed a hand on her thigh. The touch bringing back the memory of the night that he told her he'd never leave her. This produced even more tears. Damon slowly removed his hand and searched her face unsure of how to comfort her.

"How can you be so kind to me after all I've said and done?" He leaned back looking at her, stunned; there was sadness in his eyes, but no confusion.

"Glutton for punishment perhaps, no…just I told you, I'd never leave you…that still applies no matter who you choose or love." His voice caught at the end, and he swallowed. "I love you Elena, and no matter what you decide…I won't be leaving your side." Tears were glistening in his eyes threatening to fall but he held eye contact.

She'd caused him so much pain; she reached out and took his face in her hands. "Thank you for being here." She paused and felt her heart seize in pain, she froze a minute.

Damon heard it, his eyes widening slightly. But he smiled sadly, trying to reassure her. Her mind was racing with all the times he'd been there over the past months. More bits and pieces of the night were becoming clearer.

"How am I alive?" she finally asked. Damon frowned in confusion. She had forgotten that she didn't ask the rest of the question. "How did I wake up with vampire blood in my system? Did Stefan feed me his?" Damon was shaking his head no.

"It was from earlier – when Jeremy brought you in, Meredith helped you your injuries were far more serious than what she led on." He said bitterly, he closed his eyes taking in a breath that he really didn't need.

"Jeremy – does he, does he know?" Damon could hear his brother out in the hallway speaking with Jeremy.

"He's here–" He paused holding Elena tightly when she tried to get up. "But you're in transition." She struggled a moment longer before giving up.

"I won't hurt him." She said determinedly.

Damon pushed her away from him just slightly. "You could Elena; you don't know how strong the need to feed really is." He stressed gently.

Elena searched his eyes, they were still a little damp, but he wasn't hiding his emotion like he normally did. "I trust you to stop me." She whimpered and moved closer to him.

He nodded, and called out. "You can come in now."

* * *

"Where's my sister!" He shoved Stefan against the wall, surprised that he was outside and not inside with Elena. He could feel Alaric's presence beside him.

"Damon's in there with her." He heard Ric say.

"I'm giving Damon time alone with Elena." Stefan said tiredly. He glanced over Jeremy's shoulder as if he were looking straight at Ric. Jeremy flinched, he looked rough.

"Elena wanted me to save Matt first." He paused, as if trying to catch his breath. Jeremy grabbed him by the shirt front.

"And you're a god damn vampire! And you couldn't save them both!" Jeremy exclaimed and was shaking Stefan.

Ric stepped closer. "Fighting him is only going to get you killed. Can't you see how unstable he is – save him for Damon." Ric hissed.

Jeremy let go of Stefan's shirt front. It was strange how he thought that Damon was the safer brother for Elena. He turned to look at Ric, and he nodded towards the door. Jeremy turned back and saw that Stefan was gone.

Jeremy looked at Ric again, and he nodded motioning to the door. "Damon will hold her back; she won't want to hurt you." He said quietly.

Jeremy nodded, and walked closer to the door.

"You can come in now." He heard Damon call out quietly, since he was closer to the door. Jeremy slowly pushed the door open. He was trembling all over, he wasn't allowed back here when mom and dad had died. He glanced at Damon who was holding Elena back with his forearm. She smiled at Jeremy as he entered.

"Jer…" She whispered, and Jeremy felt his eyes fill and tears spill down his cheeks. Damon looked down, but not before he saw the pain in his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you." She choked out, and he saw Damon shift his grip, he had both arms around her waist now.

"Gilbert, go about this quickly, every breath she is taking is like a razor grading on her throat." Elena turned to look at Damon, he was right. Well of course he was right. Jeremy wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his arms brushing with Damon's chest. Elena felt Damon flinch but then he seemed to hold her even tighter.

"Lena…I just wanted you to know that I'm here to support you no matter what your choice is. I love you, no matter if you're human or a vampire." Tears were falling now and Elena sobbed into Jeremy's chest.

"I love you Jer, and I'm so sorry." She continued to sob, and she felt Damon take shaky breath. They separated and Jeremy nodded at Damon.

"Take care of her." He whispered, and Damon nodded.

"I will Jer, stay safe." He murmured. And with that Jeremy left and Damon had to catch Elena.

"Oh my god…"She breathed, turning in his embrace. She sobbed into his neck. "Damon…? I never wanted – I don't want, I –"

"Shhh…we don't have to think about this now." He scooped her up into his arms and out the door. He stopped a minute looking for his brother, but didn't see him anywhere.

"Where are we going?" Elena asked quietly.

"I don't know if you've noticed but we need to get you the hell out of here." She nodded, and rested her head against his chest.

* * *

_**Thank you for reading and please review :)**_


	2. Chapter 2 Her Choice

**A/N – Wow! I don't think I've ever had this many reviews for a first chapter, or even a chapter before Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. It made my day So here's the next chapter, again please review and tell me what you think! Blue**

**Summary:** "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He compelled her to forget their first meeting and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything? Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. How will that impact S/E and how will that help D/E. Delena story.

**Pairing:** Damon and Elena

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or its characters.

_**Thank you goes to Kate2008 for beta work :)**_

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Her Choice**

"Where's Stefan?"

"I don't know, he was outside with Jeremy but now he's gone." He answered.

"Why are we going this way?"

Damon sighed. "Elena, the police are here, and the counsel might be as well. I'm getting you the hell out of here, now close your eyes." He explained, she didn't dare ask why he was already impatient. She felt an unnatural wind hit her, and then they stopped. He got her to his car, and set her in the passenger side. "Duck down." He instructed shutting the door. Elena did as he asked.

"Why am I so cold?" She asked.

"It's part of transitioning." He muttered.

"Oh, so that's what you mean by coffee?" She asked and Damon smirked.

"Yes – it circulates." His smile was genuine this time, with only a twinge of sadness.

"You'll have to show me these things." She said with her head against the passenger seat as he climbed in. He stared at her.

"You're going to-" She saw hope in his eyes, but it was mixed with pain and sadness.

"I don't know yet Damon – I just meant…" _What did she mean? _She was exhausted. She didn't know if that was part of the transitioning process too.

"We'll work on that if it comes to it." He spoke quietly. He wasn't completely sure yet if he should take her back to the boarding house or not. But in the end he did. He parked his car in a hiding place just for this purpose and pulled her out of the car. It was quiet, eerily quiet. But it at this moment was the safest place for her.

"Where is everyone?" Elena asked as he was carrying her into the boarding house. He carried her over to the sofa, and laid her on it, covering her with a blanket. He was about to move away but she stopped him, and he knelt down next to her.

"I don't know…." He said quietly. "Stefan isn't here."

"He feels guilty I made him save Matt first." Damon nodded. "I'm sorry…it's my fault." He was looking at her horrified, all his normally guarded emotions gone. Tears filled his eyes again, and he swallowed.

"None of this is _your _fault." He exclaimed softly, cupping her face. He looked like he was going to cry, but he took a deep breath and forced it back.

"But it is Damon…I made Stefan save Matt first." She said it again with emphasis. Elena saw the shock rifle through him and then he closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping slightly. "…and he…"

He stopped her. "…of course he did…"

"I know you wouldn't have…" She said stopping him.

She could see anger in his eyes but he wasn't angry at her. Now she second guessed if she should have told him.

"_I would have saved you both Elena_…" He whispered, and looked away visibly trying to calm himself. "_I will always choose you_." He paused, drawing in a breath "When I was fighting Ric…when he died, I ahh…I thought I lost you…"He couldn't finish.

"…for good." She said calmly, and he nodded then dropped his face to her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry." He looked up at that bewildered.

"You're sorry." He asked incredulously.

"I know you cared about Ric." He closed his eyes and laid his head on her stomach again.

"It's you I love Elena…Ric died." He said but he couldn't keep the emotion out of it.

"But he was still your friend." He nodded, and sat back.

"He was." He whispered.

"I feel so cold." She shivered, and she saw him nod.

"It's your bodies need for blood." He murmured quietly.

"Damon I don't want this, I wanted to grow old and have children I wanted." Tears were threatening to spill, and Damon pulled her close again.

"It's your choice Elena, a century in a half is a long time to…" He broke off, he and his brother could never be brothers not after this. He fought for control again smoothing down her hair.

"Can I just have a few moments alone, I promise I won't do anything stupid." Damon nodded, cupping her face. He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be in my room. I'll give you as much privacy as I can." He started to stand, but Elena grabbed his hand.

"Thank you Damon." He frowned. "I never have thanked you enough." He hushed her and kissed her hand and before she could blink he was gone.

Elena stared into the fire thinking about everyone that Jeremy had lost, and how she couldn't do this to him. She couldn't leave him with nobody. Tears filled her eyes, and she wrapped the blanket Damon had given her around her shoulders tightly. She thought about her friends, about Stefan and Damon, and how losing her would be putting a greater rift between the two. She knew Damon thought he'd hid his pain from her when she asked where Stefan was, but she saw the pain it caused him. She knew that if he lost her it would destroy him. It would also destroy the brothers still rocky relationship. She would be selfish to let herself die. And she didn't want to die she had so much more to live for.

Her mind went back to Damon and how he was holding her together and how at the moment she was probably holding him together too. But yet, he's been the one that has been here. He hadn't left her side at all this year that Stefan was gone. She closed her eyes at the memory that flashed into her mind, of her sitting in this very place and him trying to comfort her. It was when Stefan came back and he had turned his emotions off. She was glad that Damon was there, his hand on her leg; standing up and protecting her once again. He'd said he'd never leave her, even though she had hurt him time and time again. She felt a stab of pain at that, she'd hurt him again just that night before she – she died. She couldn't leave it at that.

She closed her eyes against the pain that flashed in her mind. This time it was an entirely different memory. It was the night she blew off her parents for a party, and she was on the phone with Bonnie but that was all she remembered.

"_Katherine." She heard a velvety voice say, she looked up confused. There was a tall dark stranger about 5 feet from her and he had just called her Katherine, she looked around herself and back at him._

"_Um…no…I'm Elena." The man looked at her strangely and a bit awkwardly. _

"_Oh…you just look…" He shook his head, stepping closer. "I'm sorry…you just really remind me of someone." Elena got a better look at him now that the light shined on him and he was gorgeous. His blue eyes were beautiful, it was like looking into a sea of blues, and she was entranced by them. "I'm Damon…" She heard him say._

"_Not to be rude or anything Damon, but it's kinda creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere." She said narrowing her eyes at him._

"_You're one to talk you're out here all by yourself." He quirked an eyebrow._

"_It's Mystic Falls, nothing bad ever happens here." She said to him. When he didn't say anything she held up her phone to explain. "Got into a fight with my boyfriend." _

"_About what…may I ask?" He held up his hands just a question she decided; she could tell this beautiful stranger couldn't she? She shook her head as if trying to figure out why she was telling him this._

"_Life, the future…he's got it all mapped out." She looked him in the eyes again it was getting difficult to think as she looked into those ocean blue eyes._

"_You don't want it?" _

_She shrugged. "I don't know what I want…" _

_Damon shrugged, shaking his head. "Well that's not true, you want what everybody wants." _

_She smiled at him she was starting to like him. His smirk, his smoldering blue eyes and he was challenging her. Making her think, so she went with it she was enjoying herself._

"_What mysterious stranger that has all the answers?" She asked him with a slight smile. He smiled, and turned his head away with a chuckle. She liked his smile._

"_Hum well let's just say that I've been around for a looong time…and I've learned a few things." He said with a playful smile and his eyes smoldered, causing her heart to race in her chest. She liked him._

"_So Damon, tell me what is it that I want." She flirted with him. Damon closed the distance between them, and now she could really look into his eyes._

"_You want a love that consumes you; you want passion and adventure, and even a little danger." Elena stared at him for a long moment. It was exactly what she wanted; she took a breath, and looked him in the eyes._

"_So what do you want?" She smiled at him and a look of surprise came over his face. Like he'd never been asked what he wanted before. But just as he was going to say something a horn beeped in the distance. "It's my parents." She said turning back, and was startled to find him closer. But before she could move back she was lost in his eyes._

"_I want you to get everything you're looking for but right now I want you to forget that this happened…can't have people knowing I'm in town yet." He winked. "Goodnight Elena." _

_Elena blinked, and turned around confused. She felt like she should be remembering something._

Elena's eyes snapped open and she blinked a few times she was in the Salvatore boarding house again. The memory that had come back to her wasn't one that she could recall ever happening. It was the night her parents picked her up from the party she went to. She had blown off family night for it. It was also the last night her parents were alive. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she remembered the rest of it.

She _had_ met Damon first, but why didn't he ever mention it, or even mention it when she had said that to him. She pushed the blanket off her shoulders, and got slowly to her feet. She hurt everywhere. She slowly walked up the stairs to Damon's room, knocking lightly. She could hear water running then shut off. Damon opened the door after that, his hair dripping and a towel wrapped around his waist, Elena blushed.

Elena stared at his well muscled chest "I'm sorry I can come back." She said, and he pulled her into his room.

"Uh-uh, I'll – just be a moment," and he went to his closet, and then came out in a pair of jeans, pulling a black shirt over his head. Damon normally would have just lain next to her on the bed, but he was choosing to make her feel comfortable. Again it was so unlike him, but he knew that she had a lot on her mind. Her eyes filled with tears again as she looked up at him, and he looked at her alarmed. Just as he reached out to her, she shook her head.

"I met you first." She breathed and he didn't say a word, just brushed the tears away with the pads of his thumbs. When she didn't continue, he wasn't sure how to answer. His thoughts going to the earlier conversation they had that day.

"Would it have really mattered?" He murmured, emotion catching in his throat.

"Yes." She whispered "It matters." She smiled sadly, cupping his face in her hands. "I'm going to transition."

"Elena…" He got out in a choked whisper. "I never wanted this life for you…more importantly you don't want this life…" He whispered brokenly. His eyes still clouded with a deep sadness that cut through her and tore into her heart.

Looking him straight in the eyes which was hard because of the deep pain that she saw in them, she'd never seen him so open, so vulnerable or this raw. She wanted to take this pain away from him; she didn't want him to feel sad. When she was in the river moments before she'd wished that she could look into those blue eyes once again and tell him what she couldn't.

"It's different now Damon…" She whispered continuing to lock eyes with him, he looked away. "I lied to you…" He closed his eyes, taking it for a different meaning. "_Damon look at me_" She waited until he opened his eyes again. They were bright with tears. "I –"He shook his head.

"We'll talk about this later – Elena you don't have to do this." He whispered fiercely his eyes were agonized as he brought his face down to hers resting his forehead against hers. "You never wanted this, you wanted a husband, kids, a – a dog. You wanted a human life, one that a vampire can't give you." He was trembling, and she could tell he was trying to reel the emotion in.

"I wanted – past tense…Damon" she paused as he looked on in surprise. "Someone once told me they knew what I wanted." This got Damon's attention.

"Oh yeah? And what was that?"

She smiled gently at him her eyes were filled with the light that he thought he had lost. "This tall dark stranger once told me that I wanted a love that consumes me; he told me I wanted passion and adventure…" She smiled as he kissed her fingers gently. "And even a little danger." He was smirking, but it wasn't his normal smirk a little bit of hope was lighting up in the deeper part of his eyes this was the real Damon, the one that he rarely showed her; one that he never showed anyone else.

"And?" He whispered.

"I think that tall dark stranger was right." She leaned into him, whispering it into his ear. "You said that no vampire could give me the life I wanted, past tense Damon, and that's true no vampire could give me kids or the chance to grow old. But I only know one vampire that could give me what the stranger told me." She felt his arms come around her, without another word, they gently were stroking her hair, this is what she wanted.

Damon was who she wanted. Human Elena had made her choice, but she had lied to herself. Who she'd become all those months that Stefan was absent in her life, she'd become stronger, different, she had grown to love Damon. Damon never left her; he was there even when she was horrible to him. He hid his pain from her, and promised her he would do anything to bring his brother back to her. He had done that, he had asked her that she remember the feelings she had when this was all done. Human Elena had been petrified to have that all consuming love. She didn't understand it. Couldn't grasp the love that Damon could give her.

She saw hope in Damon's eyes, but also saw him preparing for what she was going to say. "You're sure you want to transition?" He asked in a whisper.

"Yes, I'm sure I want to transition. But I'm scared." Damon smiled sadly, taking in a deep breath.

"So am I… but I'm not going to leave you." He said unevenly. It was so unlike Damon to be this emotional. But, he'd lost a lot in the last few days.

"Does it hurt?" She touched his cheek, and he looked up. He nodded sadly.

"Only for a moment, then the blood takes over."

"Do I need to kill someone?" She asked her voice trembled, and he shook his head no.

"That's why we have blood bags." He saw the uneasiness leave her face. "Are you ready? I don't know how much longer…"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready – ready, but you're here with me." He leaned in and kissed her forehead and he disappeared, and came back before she could blink. He was holding two blood bags.

"I can get a cup if that's easier…?" He suggested, and she shook her head no. She could feel that she wanted what was in the bags. She saw Damon frown as he said it. "Shh…stay here" She nodded, and he disappeared. She heard a lot of noise at the front door. She decided to hide, hoping Damon wouldn't panic when he didn't see her in the room.

"She's transitioning…" She heard him say. She could hear a heartbeat, and felt her mouth start to water at the smell the air, she was so thirsty. She clamped a hand over her mouth and nose and held her breath.

Then she heard Bonnie's enraged voice. She got up quickly, bumping her head on the desk. She got down the stairs and saw Damon writhing in pain on the floor. Her friend had tears running down her cheeks, and Elena ran over to Bonnie grasping her friend's shoulders.

"He didn't do anything!" Elena shook her friend, and then moved quickly away.

"Elena! Why did you stop me?" Bonnie asked looking like she was going to start on it again.

"Because you're hurting him, and he didn't do it Bonnie! Listen to me, he's telling the truth. Meredith gave me vampire blood, and I died with it in my system when Matt and I went over Wickery Bridge." Elena gasped out. Bonnie sunk to the floor pushing herself away from them.

"Oh god- no." Bonnie sobbed, and Damon slowly got to his feet, he grabbed Elena by the shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He nodded yes, but he looked a little green. Bonnie was watching them with tears running down her cheeks.

"Where's Stefan?" She asked wiping her eyes, having finally gotten control over herself. Damon looked back at her warily.

"Adjusting to this I'm sure." Damon said bitterly.

"Are you going to transition?" Bonnie asked, finally stepping closer to Elena.

Damon gripped her shoulders as Elena nodded; her throat was burning with each breath she took. She didn't want to hurt her friend. "Yes, I'm going to transition."

Bonnie nodded, and then looked to Damon. "I'm trusting you to take care of her, and if anything happens." Damon cut her off.

"I know you'll do the witchy ju-ju on me. I get it." He rolled his eyes.

"Bonnie you have to leave; I don't want to hurt you." Elena was grabbing onto Damon's arm.

"Trust me you don't want to drink her blood." Damon smirked, and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"He's right, I'm a witch." She shrugged not looking happy. Damon took Elena by the hand and led her upstairs.

"You're sure? You shouldn't have to do this for anyone except yourself." He whispered. "I had my choice taken away from me, and it took me a century and a half to…" She stopped him with fingers to his lips.

"Damon, I want to." She leaned against him, her head on his chest. Damon nodded, and gently pushed her back.

Damon quickly walked over to where he'd left the blood bags in his haste. Fortunately they weren't where Elena would have found them.

He took note of her tension and nervousness, tears that were threatening to overflow. "Hey, hey it's okay." He held her gently stroking her hair.

"It's not that Damon, it's Caroline." She faltered a moment. "…and Bonnie." She added rather bitterly.

"Bonnie will come around, if she doesn't accept you then. Well you didn't want this. It wasn't in your choice." His voice was bitter when he was thinking of Bonnie. "Caroline has been through this…she's going to be supportive." Elena shook her head. She had paled dramatically, and her chest was heaving.

"It hurts…" She sobbed, and Damon nodded.

"You need to drink." He was worried; he wasn't sure how much longer she had. How long did it take for someone to die if they didn't drink blood during transition? She slowly took the bag of blood with shaking hands, slowly bringing it to her lips, her eyes never leaving Damon's.

He nodded once in encouragement. Elena closed her eyes.

* * *

**_Thank you for reading and please review :)_**


	3. Chapter 3 Transition

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind reviews, I don't think I've ever had this many reviews for a story before. This has been exciting to write so far, and the reviews and all the alerts and favorites are motivating me to continue. Thanks So much for reading! So here is chapter 3… Love Blue**

**Thanks goes to Kate2008 for beta work! :)**

**Summary:** "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He compelled her to forget their first meeting, and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything?Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. How will that impact S/E and how will that help D/E. Delena story.

**Pairing:** Damon and Elena

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or its characters, this is just a little story to get us through the summer. If I did, Damon and Elena would be together... :)

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Transition**

Elena looked at the blood bag that Damon just handed her. She shuddered a little, her human instincts still there causing her skin to crawl at the thought of drinking blood. But a larger part of her wanted what was in that bag. She was trembling when she looked back up at Damon.

He stepped closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay, I'm right here." He encouraged her with eyes full of love and concern for her. She smiled shakily at him, and took another deep breath to calm herself. _She could do this._

With an effort, she dropped her gaze from Damon's eyes and to the circular opening in the middle of the bag. It had a cap on it she eyed it and then looked at Damon for help. He showed her how it twisted and then flipped up, but he didn't flip it for her. She breathed in deeply, it was his touch, and his familiar scent that calmed her, one that her overwhelmed mind registered as love and safety, it enveloped her, and without thinking she moved closer to him as she opened the cap.

With her eyes closed it was the smell that intoxicated her. She inhaled deeply, and the sweet fragrance overwhelmed her, making her gums hurt. She tried to welcome the pain. But it was searing, and sharp. She wanted to get away from it. Suddenly she felt strong comforting hands on her shoulders, and she opened her eyes. "Damon it hurts." She whimpered, holding her hand over her mouth.

Damon gently caressed her shoulders "Shh…I know, I know." He said gently, he brushed his fingers across her collarbone, and her sensitive skin reacted from his touch.

She slowly brought the blood bag to her mouth, keeping her eyes on Damon. When she took her first sip of the blood, it was like nothing she'd ever tasted before, its flavor danced on her tongue, it was delicious. Thick, warm, exhilarating, it filled her senses to the max. A sharp pain registered in her mind as her fangs shot through her gums. She fell forward into Damon's chest, and he gently calmed her down with his seemingly magical hands.

"Damon," she murmured after a long moment.

"I'm here." He whispered, rubbing comforting circles lightly on her back. "How are you feeling?"

Elena opened her eyes to meet his gaze - the one that she'd never seen him direct at anyone but her.

"I…feel…different, a feeling like it's not me anymore. It's terrifying, but it's… exhilarating in a way." Her eyes were round and fearful. A look of understanding crossed Damon's face, and his eyes smoldered at her.

"That's what it's like to be a vampire," Damon said gently. His words made it real – _she was a vampire_.

It was terrifying at first, and she wanted to deny it. She wanted to run away from it, hide.

But her mind wasn't listening; her thoughts running in circles in her mind. She winced and then Damon caressed her shoulders, never averting his gaze. His touch steadied her, thankfully, and she moved her head closer to his neck resting it there.

He continued on in a gentle voice, "Your senses are heightened, you want to do a thousand things at once, and if one desire is more powerful than the rest, it's next to impossible to restrain. You can't control it," he went on gruffly. "But you will be able to. _Soon._ You're going to be okay, I promise you," he paused, taking a breath he didn't need _"I won't leave you."_ He swallowed his breathing was slightly faster than normal, was he scared too?

"I know you won't leave me," she said, smiling up at him. "But we both know I'm not going to be okay." Elena saw hurt and something she couldn't place in his eyes, and instantly regretted her words.

"We'll get through this, isn't that what you've told me before." He murmured, and she nodded taking a step back from him. Her legs bumped his bed, and she sat down in it. She brought her knees to her chest, and hugged them, holding the nearly full blood bag in her hands.

Her mind was only on one thing as she finished the bag, she sat up abruptly, and although she couldn't see herself, she could feel her face. She could feel the veins underneath her eyes enlarging in response to the blood, it was unpleasant and uncomfortable. Her breathing hitched and she tried to calm herself. She was reduced to the single need, and that was thirst; all she wanted was _blood, blood and more blood_. She felt Damon's presence and on instinct pushed him away with a growl, while she tore into another blood bag from the bedside table, she relished in the energy that coursed through her veins with every swallow.

When she was done, she realized suddenly what had happened. For the first time, she had lost control over herself, turning into a monster, a beast. If it had been a human she would have killed some innocent person, the same way she had just destroyed the blood bag.

Sitting down on the bed next to her, Damon touched her face, and Elena felt it become human under his fingers. She tried unsuccessfully to blink back the tears in her eyes, but Damon embraced her wordlessly and let her give into her emotions in his arms.

Elena buried her face on Damon's chest clinging to him. He rocked her as she cried, whispering sweetly into her ear. His touch comforted her, and she felt calmer, but what she did with that blood bag and pushing him away like that. Damon could take care of himself she knew he was still a lot stronger than she was, but it still bothered her.

"Damon?" She asked, and he cupped her face as she sat back, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears. "I'm sorry I pushed you away." A smirk came to his face, and he chuckled softly.

"That was my fault I got in your way, I thought you needed me – but you seemed to handle it fine." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She couldn't stop crying, and she didn't know why, she didn't know why she wanted this and didn't want to die. There was no going back now. She took in a deep breath she didn't need, and looked up at Damon and asked a question that she knew that he didn't have an answer for.

"Why didn't Meredith just let me die?" Elena asked through her tears. She watched as Damon struggled with the emotions that played across his face.

It hurt him to feel this helpless. He had promised he'd never leave her, and he couldn't save her, he had left her. He had left his brother in charge and at full advantage. Damon felt guilty for what had happened to Elena, and he knew his guilt wouldn't help her, neither would his anger or wanting revenge. The only thing he could do was be there for her, and he felt like he was failing that miserably. How could he answer that, he didn't want to. But he knew he had to, he had to talk her through this. No matter how hard it hurt.

"She told me that Jeremy was in so much pain that she had to save you." Damon answered, pulling back a little to look into her eyes. "Trust me when I say, we can get through this." He pleaded with her.

"Get through this? Didn't you see me a minute ago I'm a freaking monster!" She choked out the words.

"Elena –" But she stopped him.

"I died Damon! I'm not –"She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to catch the breath she didn't need. "I'm so scared Damon this isn't me, I'm not Elena she died; now I'm a monster who can't even - I can't even control myself." Angry tears spilt down her cheeks, and she viscously wiped them away. "We're all monsters, Elijah, the rest of the originals, Katherine, Caroline, Stefan, and y-you – there's so much evil, and blood shed that's been done that I don't know how we make amends! Damon, I'm so-so scared. I don't want to be a monster – I want to be me again" She was sobbing now, "I want to be me again." Damon swallowed convulsively.

He hated Matt for taking her away from her safe confines of her home, and mostly he hated Stefan for listening to her and saving Matt first.

He knew that she had to say it all; she had to grieve, she had to share her despair and overwhelming anguish. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. He'd always thought he'd be more than happy to take anything from Elena – her pain, grief, suffering, as long as she was willing to share that with him. But why did it hurt so much when she called him a monster, when he'd always called himself the very same thing. Why did his actions seem so much worse when she said them? He knew that answer he wanted to be the good guy.

"_Look at me."_ He emphasized reaching for her face and cupping her neck and brushing his fingers over her cheeks. He took few minutes to meet her agonized gaze. For a moment, he saw only pain, no trace of the spark that Elena's eyes always held even when they were in their darkest moments. "Elena, you are _not_ going to be a monster. _I will not let you be a monster."_ He exclaimed fiercely. Elena touched his cheek shaking her head.

"But I already am Damon_, I already am_." She whispered. Her anger had fizzled out only to be replaced with grief.

Her pain shattered his already splintering heart and he felt tears in his eyes. He fought for control. Her face was changing again, and she looked away. Damon took it in his hands and brought her face to look at his, he changed for her, and he could more easily hold back his own tears that way.

"Elena – you'll be a monster _if _you stop caring, when you let yourself not feel anymore, and what I see now is the opposite. You're angry and you're hurt because you feel. Am I right?" He whispered her face calmed again beneath his touch.

She looked at him, with doubt.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

She searched his eyes and nodded mutely.

A feeling of elation tried to fill his heart, she trusted him. "Then trust me when I say I have experience here, Elena." He continued on unsteadily. "Think of everyone you love, Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Stefan… Damn it Elena, think of me and tell me that you don't care!"

A tear fell down his cheek, and Elena reached out and touched it. She was hurting him again. More tears spilt down her cheeks, and he wiped her tears away.

"_Of course, I care."_ She whispered, and he smiled a sincere and genuine smile at her one that he rarely used. Elena reached out and touched his face, her fingers brushing his jaw, cheeks, and then settled for resting on his neck lightly skimming his collar bone. It nearly took all of Damon's control to sit still.

"What happens if I don't want to feel?" She whispered dropping her hands; he reached for them and took them in his own.

"Elena, remember when I first arrived?" He waited for her to look up, his voice catching in his throat. He continued when she looked back up at him. "How you – you brought out my good side, I don't know how you did it, but you did. Even when I first met you, I was cold and calculating; but you challenged me to be the better man and I fought back. I know it's easy to think that switching that switch will make it all better. But it doesn't, our experiences are what make us who we are, they make us stronger you told me that not in words, but by trusting me to be the better man. If anyone, can fight with me to help you through this it's you. Even now Elena, you're stronger than I will ever be." He whispered, and caressed her cheek.

"But Damon, even if I care, I know what I am, please don't lie to me to appease me." Damon winced at the bitterness in her voice. She was going to need time; just like he did we all needed time when accepting a new reality. She looked down again, and Damon touched her cheek encouraging her to look at him.

"I've never lied to you, Elena. And I'm not going to start now, it's not gonna be easy, but I need you to have as much faith in yourself as you had in me." He said gently.

"I don't know if I can do that…" Damon pressed his lips together and took in a deep breath. "What about Stefan." Damon sighed.

"What about him?" He answered bitterly with a question, instead of responding. "He's not here, Damon." She answered. "I loved him, Damon. It was safe to love him." Elena frowned.

Damon narrowed his eyes, and couldn't stop a snort, she looked up at him. "I don't know where he is Elena, but if you'd rather have him –"

She stopped him immediately sensing where his mind was going. "No – I want you with me Damon." Damon looked away a moment, taking a minute to control himself. "I'm sorry, I – I'm just confused, I don't know. I- "She trailed off, and Damon looked back to her.

"I understand Elena." And he did, "You just need time to adjust, we all do. I'll help you if you let me, even if you don't let me." She nodded, and took his hand in hers playing with his ring.

She looked up into his ocean blue eyes and nodded. "Can I pick my ring?" She smiled for him, and he breathed out.

"Of course you get to pick it out." He smirked. "Now you need to rest," he said, he pressed on her shoulder, and Elena obeyed, lying down on his bed and wrapping herself in the blanket, out of comfort, not cold.

"Please don't leave me." She whispered as he stood.

"Never," He bent down and caressed her cheek, and she looked up at him with a new spark lightening up her eyes. Damon swallowed a new hope filling his chest, at the spark that filled her eyes.

Damon lay down next to her. She rolled over and pressed her cheek to his chest. "Thank you." She whispered.

* * *

**Please leave me a review! Thanks for reading! Love, Blue**


	4. Chapter 4 Confrontation

**Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, I'm excited to keep continuing this. Sorry for the delay, I will have something more here very soon. But thank you so much! Please leave me a review, might get me to update a little quicker :) Can't wait till Oct. 11th TVD Season 4 back on! yay :) Hugs! Blue**

**Summary:** "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He compelled her to forget their first meeting, and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything?Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. How will that impact S/E and how will that help D/E. Delena story.

**Pairing:** Damon and Elena

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or its characters. This is just a little fun to get us through the season break.

**_Thank you goes to Kate2008 for beta work :)_**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Confrontation**

It was late morning Elena had been sleeping for almost 12 hours by this point. Even though, Damon would never admit it, he was tired. He had stayed by her side, drifting in and out of sleep. He was almost dozing off again when he heard a car pull up, and then light footsteps approaching the front door, too faint to be a human. He hurriedly went downstairs to meet the visitor. He didn't want anyone waking Elena up.

Stefan opened the door and slowly walked inside. Damon gave him a once over. To mention his brother looked like hell would be an understatement. Damon had no love lost for him at the moment. He leaned his shoulder against the wall crossing his arms.

"Time for us to have a talk little brother." Damon said with a heavy dose of sarcasm coming to stand in his path, but a distance away.

Stefan gaped at him "What the hell do you want?" He growled trying to move around him. "Get the hell out of my way."

With a roll of his blue eyes, Damon dismissively waved him out the front door. "Elena's entire worlds been turned inside out and you want me to get the hell out of _your_ way." Damon chuckled darkly, pushing Stefan off the front steps. He stumbled a few feet before regaining his balance.

"What?" Stefan asked in a lifeless voice.

Damon raised both eyebrows realizing that Stefan hadn't realized what her choice might be before narrowing his eyes dangerously "Elena's transitioned Stefan." Stefan's expressionless face turned to one of total disbelief.

"_What?" _He started, still detached. But then something seemed to occur to Stefan, and a bitter smile crossed his face. "Oh, I get it." He chuckled amused.

Damon sighed in exasperation. "Get what?" He growled, getting more than a little annoyed with his younger brother.

"She died, so now you want your revenge – so typical Damon." He paused, dragging his hand down his face. Stefan smiled a deranged smile at that. "Not my problem, brother." He said dismissively. His tone cued Damon in that Stefan had flipped the switch.

Damon restrained his fists that so desperately wanted to beat his brother within an inch of his pathetic existence. His lip curled menacingly as he shook his head in slow motion he took a step in Stefan's direction "No. What's typical is your _inability_ to stand up to Elena, baby brother." His eyes flashed with anger.

"What the hell are you talking about? I was respecting her wishes!" Stefan roared at him.

Damon stalked towards his brother. Stefan scowled at him backing away, but he continued on. "_You couldn't even protect her_." Damon hissed. _"You couldn't even keep her alive." _Damon knew that would send him over the edge, but that's what he wanted to break through to him.

That was all it took for Stefan to lunge at him, but Damon quickly countered the attack by throwing Stefan up against a tree. With his free hand, he broke off a large branch and held it high aiming for Stefan's heart.

"Damon, wait!" Stefan tried to fight him, despite having fresh blood. He was still no match for Damon when he was this filled with rage.

"_You_ let her die!" Damon roared, gripping his brother's neck with his free hand like a vise grip. Had Elena not drowned, Alaric would still be alive. Even if his best friend had become a soulless monster, he'd still lost his friend and the girl he loved in the very same moment. He knew she would've likely died anyway, given her injuries. But in this moment all he could think about was the fact he had lost two loved ones at once, and it was way too much for him to bear.

_"Give me one reason not to end you right now." _Damon pressed, tightening the grip on Stefan's neck.

Stefan fought against his brother's hold to no avail "You love her," Stefan rasped out, gripping onto the hand that was choking him. "Damon…"

Damon only shook his head slowly his anger magnifying as his grip tightened fractionally, and his brother gasped for air.

"She'll…" he choked, "She'll never forgive you. You said she went through with the – she's a vampire now! And never…Damon, think about it!" Stefan pleaded with him he'd never seen Damon like this and that was frightening.

Damon just glared at him with eyes that were like blue fire, chilly and cold; he did not release his grip but loosened it fractionally. He also held off on driving the stake through his heart. "Why?" Damon sneered. "You knew you wouldn't make it back in time, so why!" He asked, already knowing the answer "How could you choose anyone over her?" Despite Damon's best effort to stay angry, his throat tightened at those words.

_He would always choose her._ No matter how much she hated him for it.

"She wanted me to save Matt." Stefan said desperately, tears filling his eyes as he choked for air.

Damon chuckled humorously "_She wanted me to save Matt,"_ Damon mocked, his eyes changing in his anger it was the only way to keep the tears back.

Stefan struggled in his grip. "Damon…please"

"I don't understand what was going through your head!" Damon slammed Stefan's head hard against the tree trying to knock sense into him he continued viciously "_Ok FINE_, Elena wanted you to get Matt out of the truck! But she _drowned _Stefan! SHE DIED! Why in the hell didn't you think to unclick her god damn seatbelt!" He yelled, slamming his brother's head harder against the large oak tree. "Why in the hell didn't you save them both? You're a god damned vampire!"

Stefan's jaw dropped, unable to respond verbally. For a long moment, they just glared at each other. Finally, he spoke. He repeated once again, "Elena wanted me to save Matt. So I -."

"And you didn't save_ Elena_!" Damon's voice broke when he said her name. Damon peeled his brother from the tree hurling him across the lawn, and sending him sailing into another tree. The large tree broke in half and Damon heard a few crackling sounds - he knew that was Stefan's bones breaking.

Damon stalked towards his brother as Stefan scrambled to get to his feet his injuries were slow to heal. Damon abruptly lifted Stefan to his feet, stopping and shoving him backwards harshly. He took a deep shaky breath, shaking his head as his eyes changed back to human.

He went on in an anguished voice "And that's the eternal difference_ between_ _you_ and _I_ _brother._ I'll let her hate me to protect her _and I will always choose her_." He swallowed thickly, his throat tightening until he could only whisper _"I will always put her first_." Damon pushed past him angrier than he'd ever been. He had to leave before he did kill his brother.

He sped fast back into the boarding house shutting the door and leaning against it. He was breathing hard from his outburst, and his heart hurt. He straightened, pushing himself from the door and walking to the bar, pouring himself a drink with shaky hands. The burning liquid doing nothing to calm him he hurled the glass into the fire, and leaned heavily against the bar, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He wanted to kill something as rage blinded him. But it wasn't rage directed at his brother, it was directed internally.

Had he been there, had he not listened to his brother, Elena would still be alive. Damon always put her first and it still wasn't enough. The pain he felt was enough to almost drive him to his knees. He ran his hands through his disheveled hair and walked slowly back up the stairs to his room.

He peeked in and saw that Elena was still sleeping soundly. Tears burned in his eyes as he slowly shut his bedroom door, leaning against it. The anger he felt earlier was now despair. He wanted to cry out, and yell at whoever their creator was and ask them to take him instead.

Elena had never wanted this, hell he didn't want this. She was damned to an eternity of hell, because Stefan chose to save Matt instead. He realized he was shaking so he pushed himself away from his door and walked slowly back over to his bed. He leaned over gently caressing her cheek.

_He'd give anything he could to give her back her human life_. He closed his eyes against the unbearable sting and pulled in an uneven breath. As he climbed back into bed with her, he gathered her up into his arms burying his face in her long chocolate locks. God he loved her. It took all his strength to hold back the monumental anguish that threatened to destroy him. It would be so easy to just flip his non-existent switch. So easy, but he couldn't, no he couldn't because the woman in his arms needed him.

* * *

_hours later_

Damon woke to Elena tossing and turning in her sleep she was gasping, and crying out. He shook her awake. "Elena" he whispered.

Elena's eyes flew open, and she gasped pulling in a ragged breath she blinked furiously, breathing rapidly as she trembled.

"You were having a bad dream." He murmured, and she touched her cheeks surprised to find them wet. She took a deep breath, and breathed out slowly as fine tremors shook beneath her skin.

"It was so real." She sniffed, fresh tears coming to her eyes.

"What was so real?" He asked gently.

"I..." She stared at him for a long moment. "I don't think it was a dream, I think it's what happened before I – before I died." She saw Damon wince at the word, he reached out as if to pull her closer to him, but he dropped his hand on the mattress.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" He asked after a long moment, finally reaching again, pulling her close to him.

"I…" she frowned. She looked down at her hands, and her brows dipped, trying to remember. "Matt…he drugged me."

She felt him stiffen "He - _what_?" Damon snarled before quickly biting back his anger to let her finish.

"I remember waking up while Matt was driving…I – I called you to tell you I was – I was …" She trailed off, knowing they didn't need to rehash the details of their phone call.

Damon was waiting patiently, controlled for now, Elena had a hard time looking into his eyes they were so intense and had turned a deep shade of dark blue.

She took a deep breath that did little to calm her and continued. "Then I got a text from Caroline telling me Tyler's dead," she explained further, her lip quivering as she fought back her tears. "…I looked up, and the next thing I know… Rebekah is standing there in front of Matt's truck…_she was just standing there_. Matt slammed on his brakes, but lost control and drove off of Wickery Bridge," she gasped, her tears falling freely down her cheeks. She swallowed thickly, watching Damon, he was so still. "Damon?" She sniffed, "What is it?"

She watched his eyes close, and his jaw clench as he steeled himself his mouth turned into a sneer "Rebekah," he seethed. "I saved her life last night…I got her out of there….and she repays me by driving you and Matt off a bridge." He finally opened his eyes they were shiny, but full of rage.

For a long moment, they only stared at each other. Damon drew in a deep breath as he continued softly _"I could have lost you, Elena."_ She hadn't realized she was holding on to him until his grip tightened on her "I was _this close_ to losing you." He crushed her to him, and she tightened her grip around him. They stayed silent for a long time Elena watched him as he gradually calmed himself down. He was still angry, but it wasn't controlling him.

She searched his face, and she realized something else was wrong "What happened?" Damon grunted, and shifted. Lying on his back, staring at the ceiling he could swear that she could read his mind.

"Nothing happened." She felt him stiffen as she touched his arm.

"Damon…" Her lips quivered again, and he sighed as he decided to tell her.

"Nothing much, my saintly brother came home. We shared some words –"

Elena stopped him sitting up quickly on her elbow the move startling him, and her. "Shared some words?" She raised her eyebrows.

Damon continued after a moment "…Broke a few bones, chopped down a tree…that sort of thing." He smirked, but she knew he wasn't amused.

Elena blinked a few times staring at him, wondering what he meant about the tree. "Damon." She sighed, resting her head back against the pillow.

"Elena…" He repeated back. "Relax, he's still alive…" He sighed and closed his eyes.

"…I just don't like you two fighting, over me of all people." Damon looked at her incredulously.

Elena stared back at him, until he broke eye contact and rolled onto his side to face her. "How are you feeling?" He asked, and she could see the effort it took for him to calm himself.

She was exhausted and couldn't figure out why. "I'm exhausted. Why is that? I'm a vampire shouldn't I be _all powerful_" She sing-songed in a tired voice.

"It's the sun - it weakens us." He told her quietly

Elena raised her eyebrow. "It doesn't weaken you."

He wiggled his fingers at her and his eyes smoldered. "That's what the daylight ring is for, and no, it still weakens us it's the spell that protects us. It also helps that I'm not a baby vamp." He smirked, and Elena smacked him on the chest so hard that it stung. Though Damon would never admit that out loud, he rubbed his chest absentmindedly.

After a long moment of silence and thinking about what he had just said, Elena muttered out loud "I'm going to miss the sun." She groaned, covering her eyes with her arm. Damon chuckled softly, removing her arm. "What?" She grumbled.

He touched her nose with his finger and smiled genuinely at her. "You won't be a homebody for long." Then he winked and rolled out of bed.

"Ugh…let me sleep." She growled, and rolled over bringing a pillow over her head.

Damon leaned over ruffling her hair. "Feisty – I like it." He pulled the pillow from her head, and she turned over.

"Let me sleep." She grunted glaring at him.

Damon's eyes glinted with mischief as he knelt back on the bed, his hands shot out in a blur proceeding to tickle her sides.

Elena giggled and swatted his hands away from her sides. "Damon…" She whined, and he pulled her up by her hands. She fell into his chest, and bumped her nose. "Damon…I'm exhausted." She murmured, her voice muffled by his chest.

"…and you're bored." He whispered softly in her ear, and she nodded against his chest. "Then let me show you something." He grinned a wry grin, and Elena contemplated how she was going to handle this side of Damon.

She brightened with effort, and took his offered hand. She knew that they weren't going to leave the house. They couldn't with her being all ringless and everything. She was wondering how the sun would feel when she noticed that Damon's hand had tightened around hers and he seemed to be more alert when they got down the stairs, looking around. But then he just pulled her hand gently, walking through the room, and to the basement.

"If this is your idea of entertaining me Damon –" She broke off when he looked at her raising an eyebrow.

"Didn't you develop any patience?" He teased in an amused voice, and she rolled her eyes.

"Of course. I just don't have any _Damon patience."_ She crossed her arms, and he laughed. She realized she was only amusing him, so she pressed her lips together and glared at him. He brought her to the cell, and she looked at him incredulously. "Are you going to keep me in the dungeon now?" She asked and Damon shook his head.

"No this will only be your temporary home if you can't control yourself" He smirked, and opened the steel door "But it's a good place to hide." He held out a hand, and she entered the room hesitantly.

She turned looking over her shoulder as he entered the cell with her "What are you looking for?" Elena asked curiously as Damon continued past her.

Damon didn't answer for a long moment, as he walked over and turned on the light - even with her supernatural vision the room had been too dim for her eyes.

He knelt down sticking his hand into the wall, and came out with a stake. Elena stepped back, alarmed. "I figured _this_ would come in handy." He whispered flipping it in his hand, and Elena stared at him.

"Is _that_ what I think it is?" She asked, and Damon nodded.

"Yep" He replied bemused and rose lithely to his feet.

Elena frowned looking on in concentration "Why were you hiding it?" She asked.

Damon was staring back at her with narrowed eyes. "It's our leverage." Damon shrugged and he tucked it in his pocket; no doubt his thoughts going to Rebekah. Her throat tightened and she swallowed, trying for a calm voice but it came out breathless.

"Leverage?" She asked, moving about the cell looking at it closely, she felt Damon's eyes on her back as she took in the cell for the first time with her vampire eyes.

"For staking bad guys." Damon said coolly. Elena stared at him a moment longer, before nodding and continuing looking around the cell. Damon trailed her quietly.

Everything was so much sharper; she could see dust floating in the air it sparkled in the dim light. "Everything looks _so_ different." She commented, turning to face him looking at him in awe. He was standing inches away, and she could see the different shades of blue in his eyes. They were so breathtaking standing out against his raven colored hair.

"The perks of vampire vision." Damon smirked, tilting his head to the side as his eyes continued to smolder at her.

Damon followed Elena out the door turning to close the door then halting as he turned around watching as Elena suddenly had stopped moving, waving her hands frantically.

Damon was instantly in front of her looking at her in concern; but then he just started laughing. "What the hell are you doing?" He choked on his laughter.

"I had a spider in my hair!" She exclaimed, and Damon held his stomach as he laughed. "What?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead without thinking much about it. He rested his chin on the top of her head and he felt Elena hesitantly bring her arms around his waist. He sighed in content at least she was still accepting comfort he supposed. "I didn't mean to laugh." He whispered.

"Guess our old fears don't go away no matter how strong we are." She muttered against his chest.

"They do with time." He shrugged, taking a step back.

"What were you scared of when you were human?" She smirked up at him, and he chuckled.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Scared?" He shook his head laughing. She was certain he wasn't going to answer her, even if he was a vampire he was a man, and she wasn't sure Damon was scared of anything. She thought he'd just laugh her off, but she was surprised when he suddenly sobered, and continued on "Pissing my father off, he packed a mean punch." He rubbed his chin absentmindedly, turning to head into the room where he held his blood stash.

"He hit you?" Elena caught up with him, grabbing his arm and turning him to face her. With a little more force than she intended, but he'd been prepared for it.

Damon sighed, and looked away lost in thought. "I may have grown up in a different time. But getting beaten up by my father was a normal thing." He shrugged. Elena frowned. Damon disengaged his arm from her hand gently.

Her eyes filled with sorrow and he tried to dismiss her thoughts. "It was a long time ago Elena, water under the bridge as they say. Hasn't Stefan ever told you this?" He questioned, turning, he opened the cooler reached in grabbing two blood bags tossing her one. Elena caught it easily, and opened it without much thought.

Her head spun as she took in the scent of the delicious thick liquid. "I want to hear it from you." She leaned against the cooler next to him, as he contemplated answering her.

He frowned, as he opened his blood bag taking a sip. "You eat, I'll talk." Again he surprised her she didn't think that he'd answer her.

Elena waited but he didn't start - just stared off in the distance, battling whatever emotions that were playing across his face. Just when she thought he wasn't going to say anything he started quietly.

"He wasn't always a tyrant. After our mother died, a lot changed." He swallowed, not looking at her. Elena watched as his eyes grew sad and maybe even a little moist.

After a long moment of silence Elena asked encouragingly "What was your mom like?"

Damon swallowed, and turned to look at her. His eyes were full of ancient grief, and Elena took in a sudden breath.

He turned away again, but spoke calmly. "She was a lot like you. Compassionate, forgiving, loving…she put everyone else first above her own needs. I looked a lot like her, and held a lot of her traits I suppose that's why father hated me." He finished his blood bag, and set it aside. Elena felt tears in her eyes, and scrubbed at them.

She cleared her throat. "She sounds like she was a lot like my mom." She whispered, and Damon put an arm around her shoulders.

"If your mother was anything like you – then yes she was" He smiled sadly.

Damon motioned towards the stairs and Elena started forward but froze on the last step turning to look at him.

Damon frowned listening for anything that sounded off. "Get behind me now!" He hissed taking her shoulders, forcing her behind him without hesitation.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! Please leave me a review :) Blue**


	5. Chapter 5 Visitor

**_Thank you so much for all the alerts, adds and reviews! Sorry I didn't get this up sooner, the website seemed to be acting up a little and I couldn't post it. So here it is finally, I should have something more soon, just working on the next chapter now. :) So again I say thanks, and enjoy! Thanks for all the motivation to write! When you review, it gives me more :)_**

**_Hugs! Blue :)_**

**Summary:** "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He compelled her to forget their first meeting, and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything?Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. How will that impact S/E and how will that help D/E. Delena story.

**Pairing:** Damon and Elena

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or its characters.

**_Thank you goes to Kate2008 for beta work :)_**

* * *

Chapter 5 – Visitor

Damon quickly pulled Elena behind him turning and mouthing _'stay quiet'_ tapping his ear, and pointing up at the ceiling. She already knew their visitor was _not_ human. And from the sounds of it there were more than one of them.

Damon quietly, but quickly moved them to a perfect hiding spot. He had a firm grip on her upper arms almost bone crushing. She winced a little and his grip loosened instantly.

His gaze shot up at the level above them as they heard a crashing sound like there was fight going on. Elena felt Damon tense readying himself to fight; he didn't appear to be breathing, so she did the same. He turned to face her and leaned in, whispering in her ear, so lightly that she with her new ears had to struggle to hear; there was no way she would have picked that up with her human ears.

"Crouch down, behind you is a false wall, where you can hide." She shook her head frantically _'not without you'_ her eyes told him. His eyes flashed and he took her face in his hands. When their eyes connected she could see her fear reflecting in his blue pools. Words weren't needed for her to know what he needed her to do. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she nodded.

_"Be careful"_ she mouthed, he nodded, and leaned in kissing her temple.

He slowly leaned back. _"I'll be right back."_ Elena ducked down pushing on the wall till it silently gave. She crawled into the space it was pitch black, but with her vamp vision she could pick up things that her human eyes would never have seen. It was a tunnel of sorts - she crawled down into it, and pressed her back against the cool wall hugging her knees. She was trembling, not from the cold, but from the terror of what was happening out there.

She felt her veins around her eyes enlarging, and clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out in terror as something crawled up her leg. 'Hurry back Damon, please.' She crawled further down the tunnel away from the blasted bugs.

* * *

Damon moved silently only breathing to pick up the scent of his visitors. He knew from the disgusting smell they were hybrids, how many he wasn't certain of that. He also knew that they would be able to smell him. If there were more than one, which he'd bet money on he was outnumbered and he couldn't take them on alone. He reached back taking the stake in the palm of his hand hefting it. He knew it would kill an _original_. _But would it kill a hybrid_. He'd soon find out, he silently crept into the parlor and halted. Standing in the center of the room was Elijah his hands were bloody, and he was holding two hearts.

Elijah looked up his gaze unreadable. Damon had already put the stake back in his jeans. He looked down grimacing at the floor where the two hybrids lay bleeding out all over a rug.

"Hybrids" Damon seethed. Elijah carelessly tossed the hybrids hearts aside wiping the blood off his hands on one of their shirts.

Elijah's brow furrowed, and he raised an eyebrow "They stink." Elijah said in disgust.

Damon's head canted to the side, and he nodded in agreement. Before narrowing his eyes and looking at the original suspiciously "What are you doing here?" Damon crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes never leaving Elijah's.

Elijah stepped forward, and Damon stepped back countering the move. "Relax, I have no quarrel with you." Elijah said in his smooth elegant voice.

Damon didn't relax, and he didn't let down his guard down.

He raised his eyebrows, now annoyed "Answer the question" He started forward, having to step over the two hybrids on his floor. "Besides messing my floor up and...bar." Damon seethed, his eyes narrowing at the once antique bar that was now destroyed.

Elijah shrugged calmly. "You had two very rapid hybrids wanting to _kill you_…I killed them for you." Elijah's raised his eyebrow in amusement. "Sorry about the bar…by the way." He didn't sound that sorry.

Damon rolled his eyes, and raised them to the ceiling "You know how old that was!" Damon growled stalking over to the bar to look closely at the damage.

Elijah took a step closer as well, and had the respect to cringe.

"I'm certain I can find a decent replacement for you." Elijah replied casually, Damon didn't want a replacement he loved his bar, though he'd never admit that.

Damon whipped his head back to glare at Elijah "Now I'm sure you're not here for a social call." Damon replied sarcastically as his eyes flashed.

"You are correct. I'm not here for a social call – but you do need my help." He replied. "Meet me at the Wickery Bridge in one hour." And he was gone. Damon stared after him and glared at the cleanup.

* * *

Damon made fast work of rolling up the hybrids in the rug he brushed his hands off on his jeans, and narrowed his eyes at the room the rest would have to wait.

He hadn't agreed to meet Elijah later at the Wickery Bridge, he didn't know how much the original knew, but he wasn't about to take his chances leaving Elena unprotected he pulled out his phone texting Blondie.

_**Blondie - meet me at the boarding house half hour - Damon**_

He pocketed his phone, and rushed down the stairs pressing on the false wall until it gave. "Elena?" He immediately heard her crawling towards him. She took his offered hand and wrapped her arms around his neck immediately when he pulled her to her feet.

"What took you so long?" She trembled against him.

Damon hesitated a moment, before gathering her in his arms in a comforting embrace, rubbing light circles on her back. "Elijah was here." He answered. He felt Elena's tension.

Suddenly her fingers were busy, tracing his chest, down his abs. Damon stopped her progress. "Elena." He held her hands carefully, although she wasn't as breakable he still didn't want to hurt her. "I'm okay. Elijah – thinks we need his help." He held her hands firmly.

She frowned in confusion. "I thought he'd be working with Rebekah." Her eyes changed as she said her name. Damon dropped her hands, and put his hands on her face.

He traced his fingers gently over her eyes until she calmed. "I don't know yet, he wants to meet me at the –" She startled him by grabbing his wrists. He was surprised by her grip, but kept the pain off his face.

"No – Damon! What if he – he what if he…" He stopped her.

"_Listen to me_ – we might need his help with Rebekah." He said fiercely, his eyes were darker than she'd ever seen them. Elena rested her forehead on his neck and he massaged her neck and shoulders lightly.

Her voice came out a muffled sigh. "I just don't want you to get hurt – _they could kill you_." She emphasized looking up, her brown eyes bright with fear. She let go of his wrists, and rested her hands against his chest. "Damon."

He held up a hand, stopping her "I will be fine – I'll take R –" He broke off, he was going to tell her he'd take Ric with him. Elena looked up, and caught the sadness in his eyes. "I'll be fine." He said firmly turning away from her. She immediately felt the loss of his warm touch.

Elena sighed, and trailed Damon up the stairs. She knew what he was about to say. He'd take Alaric with him. Elena found herself wanting to cry again. She stopped, taking in the room when she entered, her eyes trailed over the rubble that would have been Damon's bar. Damon was frowning with his phone in his hand. "What happened?" Elena gasped.

Damon looked up his eyes pinched with annoyance. "Elijah redecorated – do you like it?" He was looking down at his phone again, his brows furrowed. "There were hybrids here – hence the disaster." Damon smirked.

Elena frowned looking around the room. She stepped over the turned over sofa and walked over to him. "What's wrong?" Elena asked curious as he quickly put his phone in his jeans.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Why does something always have to be wrong?" Elena frowned, and crossed her arms. He was shutting her out, _fine_ she was going to shut him out. She walked over to the sofa, and lifted it and it crashed down on the floor with a loud thud. Her jaw dropped.

Damon walked over, and leaned in her ear. "Careful with the sofa." He snickered, and Elena rolled her eyes sitting down in the soft cushions with a groan. She put her feet up and closed her eyes. Damon lifted her feet and set them in his lap patting her shins.

She turned her face away, she knew he wouldn't answer her if she questioned why he'd put his phone away so quickly. So she let her annoyance through. "Do I just have to sit in here for the rest of my life…err existence without being able to go out in the daytime." She grumbled her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "…And why does my throat have to burn all the time!" She growled, and shut her eyes tightly.

Damon was rubbing light circles on her shins. "No, not for the rest of your existence – I'm working on that." He paused patting her legs, and she glared at him. "…when you're a baby vamp…" She cut him off.

"Stop calling me a baby vamp!" She hissed through her teeth, her eyes changing and she screamed. Damon was up in a flash holding her shoulders.

"Elena! _Look at me!"_ She struggled a bit, and then finally opened her angry eyes. He was leaning over her, with his hands on her shoulders. He shifted her so he could sit beside her, and he wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders. Gently he took her chin in his fingers and turned her face to his. He went on gently. "I'm sorry, alright… yes, it lessons with time. The more blood you drink, alcohol, coffee – it lesson's that. Why do you think I'm always with drink in hand?" He grinned crookedly at her, as she continued to search his eyes.

She smirked, and patted his cheek. "I just thought you were an alcoholic." He rolled his eyes, amusement flashing in them, and waggled his eyebrows at her.

With his eyes smoldering, he leaned in and whispered. "Nah, that stuff will kill ya." He leaned back, and suddenly tears came to Elena's eyes. "What did I say?" His eyes were suddenly tender, and it was getting hard for her to keep up with his moods.

She looked down, and Damon lifted her chin, she sighed, and took in a ragged breath. "I just don't want to be a monster; will I ever not want to kill someone?" Her chin trembled and Damon brushed her bottom lip with his thumb.

"Elena, you don't have to kill to survive…a little blood here and there keeps us alive." A tear fell down her chin, and over his hand.

"But how do you know I won't want to." She whispered Damon heard her, but he had to lean in.

He caressed her cheek, and she looked up into his caring face. The one that he'd had on a lot during those months that Stefan was gone, he was being careful. He hesitated before he replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, he lifted her chin. "I don't…but, I will not leave you." He replied softly.

"You can't know that you won't leave me." His eyes narrowed, and grew distant she saw a dozen emotions flash through his intense eyes, but they grew more vulnerable as she watched them. Her hand had somehow found his, and he'd been gently brushing his thumb on the back of it.

He cleared his throat after a long time, and looked up his eyes still distant, calm and soft. "I didn't kill anyone for a long time – and when I did, it was because I was so thirsty…the bloodlust was just too much. I hated myself for a long time Elena." He hesitated, and continued on in a voice she'd never heard from him.

"My first kill was a woman – a nurse I knew from the war, she recognized me…and screamed." At Elena's look, he explained. "She was from Mystic Falls, _knew I died_…I'd denied myself for weeks, maybe months feeding on the dying…but she was…alive…and I took it from her _without_ hesitating." His voice broke, and he swallowed.

Damon met her gaze his eyes agonized with remembered grief. "When I realized what I'd done…I fell to my knees, cradling this woman, this loving nurse – who had saved so many lives, and I wept. I cried for how _I_ a solider could turn into the men that were beasts that I feared and hated… Elena, you won't be a monster, as I told you earlier I won't let that happen." Elena pulled in a startled breath at his confession.

She took his hand comfortingly looking up at him, her eye searching. "Did you ever get over it?" He closed his eyes.

He shook his head lightly, as he thought about it. "Pain lesson's with time… but no, your first kill changes you. Sure, I saw death in the war – and I..."He trailed off, his eyes tight with memories that he had long forgotten.

He was silent for a long moment, and then continued his voice was rough for him "I fought, and that changed me, but the first death by my hands and a woman…" He paused swallowing, and now he'd killed countless innocent people when he gave into the beast "It lessons with time. When I met Sage, I was still grieving who I was, who'd I become. I hadn't killed after that woman or fed for a long time, I was weak I saw what the blood did to…Stefan, and I didn't want to become like that." He paused lost in thought.

"I remember you telling me the story of Sage, did it help to turn it all off?" She couldn't quite look at him.

"There's no switch Elena, not really, you still feel it's just easier pretending you can switch it all off. Embrace the monster within…" Elena looked up at the sadness in his eyes though he had a slight smirk on his face, but not his smirk.

"If there's no switch, what did Klaus make Stefan do?"

He sighed dragging a hand through his hair. "It's always been different for my baby bro." He whispered, and looked over at her. Elena got caught up in his eyes, and saw the pain there. A flash of memory started whispering at the outer skirts of her mind.

* * *

_She was suddenly in her bedroom the scene before her changing. But Damon was still there. _

"_Cute PJ's" She heard him say, and watched herself stop and look up at him._

_She hears herself say, "I'm tired Damon," And watches him get up and cross the room, his eyes impossible to read, but soft around the edges, and he's holding her necklace. She feels relieved when she sees this, but unsure, because she thought it was gone._

_He walks up to her holding her necklace in his hand, careful making sure that it's not touching him. Holding it up with a smile, "I brought you this." He continues to hold it outside her reach._

_She takes a step forward reaching for it, "Thank you." She responds grateful, but he pulls it away, with a vulnerable look coming to his eyes, her human self misses this completely, but she sees it now. "Please give it back…" Elena watches as fear rises up in her chest because that's what she felt at the time, but she continued to focus on Damon's voice, and knowing what she did now she wondered why she'd ever been afraid of him. _

_He takes a step forward his voice vulnerable, but undecided, and a little guarded. "I just need to say something…" He takes a step forward, his eyes a little hurt that she's scared of him._

"_Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" She hears herself respond, starting to back slightly away. Damon moves in closer._

_Confusion mixed with hurt crosses his face at her reaction, but determination takes hold, and he stumbles over the first words. "…because what I'm about to say is…" He hesitates searching for the right words, and continues "probably the most selfish thing I've said in my life." She interrupts him._

"_Damon don't go there…" She shakes her head scared to think where he may be going, what he may do. But lost in the blue eyes that are the most vulnerable she'd seen them at that point in time. _

_He closes the distance between them, a look of desperation in his eyes. "I just need to say it once, you just need to hear it." He continued on quickly not letting her respond, but she didn't think that she could respond as she looks up into his pools of blue._

"_I love you Elena," He hesitates a moment, his eyes full of love and tenderness he continues softly "...and it's because I love you…I can't be selfish with you... why you can't know this…I don't deserve you…" He reaches out as if to caress her cheek, but let's his hand drop his eyes moist with tears as he swallows "…but my brother does." He nods sadly as he steps forward, and places a tender kiss on her forehead. _

_Stepping back, caressing his hand against her cheek he continues on in the barest whisper "…God I wish you didn't have to forget this…" A single tear makes its way down his cheek, and her breath catches, she wants to stop this from happening, but before she can. _

_Barely audible he continues… "…but you do." He leans in and quicker than her human eyes can register he places her necklace back around her neck, and he's gone._

* * *

Elena drew in a startled breath as she looked back up at Damon. His eyes were anxious as he looked at her face. She sees him breathe in the slightest of breaths, and his face relaxes.

"You _compelled_ me." She narrowed her eyes at him, and he raises his eyebrow in confusion.

He shakes his head, and an amused expression crosses his eyes, "I can't." He mused. But she shook her head.

"I didn't mean _right now_…" She hesitates, thinking of that night and how she thought she should have remembered something. "…when you came back with my necklace after – after we met Rose for the first time, why?" Damon's eyes grew tender, and he turned away. Sitting back.

"…it was selfish of me to say." He'd gotten up, and hovered around by his bar. "I needed to get it off my chest, it was – you needed to hear it." He turned back, startled to find her right next to him. She'd definitely found her vamp speed. She looked as startled as him, but continued on before she could become more distracted.

"…I sort of knew it Damon – it wouldn't have been selfish." She was crossing her arms, glaring at him. She hated having her memories taking away. "Why didn't you let me choose?" Tears came to her eyes, and she turned away. Damon sighed, and poured two drinks.

"…I'd just gotten you to like me again; I couldn't bear to lose you again." He handed her a glass. His eyes, vulnerable as they were that night "We could have lost you…" He paused to caress her cheek, and then let his hand drop. "I'm not sorry for it." He whispered.

She set her drink down, and stepped closer. "Remember when I said that when you compel you may take the memory away…but the feelings stay?" Tears slipped down her cheeks, and Damon winced slightly, his eyes growing misty. "I never could stop feeling – I thought Stefan, was the only. Damon, you hindered it right there… On the stairs when I saw you… and, I saw you there to rescue me" A sob escaped her lips, and she squeezed herself. "I thought I'd never see you again…and suddenly you were there I just wanted to run to yo –"

"What?" Damon choked, and then coughed to cover it.

"I was running to you…" She finally got out through her sobs, she didn't know if she was angry, or sad or what. Damon's hands came to her neck, and he caressed her collarbone lightly, distracting her. She composed herself, and looked up at him. His eyes were narrow, and he was preparing himself for more hurt.

"…but you hugged Stefan." His eyes were widened.

She took his wrists in her hands, and held them. "He got in my way, I was running to you." She whispered. Damon dropped his hands, and turned away leaning into the bar. Elena walked closer to him, resting her hand on his shoulder. He let her.

"I don't understand?" He looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes now guarded. She turned him around.

She reached for his face cupping her hands gently and continued on in a gentle voice "I'm saying that I…" she hesitated, and then looked up when the front door opened, and Caroline came slowly into the parlor looking for all sakes that she'd been caught shop lifting.

"Um…I can leave?" She suggested, turning slightly towards the door, but Damon and Elena broke apart from each other.

Damon turned away from them grabbing his leather jacket, and heading towards the door.

"No. I was just leaving – Stay in here till I get back, I have to take care of a few things." And he was gone.

Elena rushed after him but Caroline caught her. Pushing her from the door that she'd gotten too Elena screamed in pain, as the sun caught her skin. Caroline was covering her with her body.

"Let me up Care – he's going to get himself killed." She wrestled with her, almost getting loose. "Care please! He needs to know - he needs to know that I - that I love him!" Elena blinked through her tears, and trying hard not to cry, but failing miserably she was too late, Rebekah was going to kill him and he'll never know.

"Elena calm down! Wait – What? That's what I interrupted!" Caroline stared at her in surprise, not realizing until they heard a sharp intake of breath that someone had heard her entire confession.

* * *

**I know I'm sorry I'm stopping there, but had to stop somewhere... Please leave me a review, and let me know how I did :) Thank you for reading! Blue**


	6. Chapter 6 A man of his word

_**Thank you! **__**so much for all the reviews and adds! I am so thankful for all of them, and I'm amazed by the support for this story. It truly motivates me to write more, and keep going with this. Firstly, I want to say I'm so sorry that I'm late at posting, been taking care of a ailing family member and she's finally on the mend so I had a little time to write again! Working on the next chapter as I write this, so hopefully will have more for you soon! Please review and enjoy! **_

_**Love! Blue**_

_**Thank you Kate2008 for beta work! :)**_

* * *

_**Chapter 6 – A man of his word**_

Elena's tears ran down her face, and Caroline held her tightly as they both looked up at the sound. Stefan stood there with a pained expression on his face, Elena was sure it wasn't from her confession about Damon, but rather her transition.

"Where's Damon?" Stefan asked not looking directly at them as he looked around the room at the destroyed bar and the missing rugs. "What the hell happened in here?" He asked horrified.

Caroline had released Elena, so she had gotten up and disappeared in the direction of the stairs. Stefan stared after her, and then back at Caroline.

Caroline looked around the room, she didn't know. "Your guess is as good as mine. Damon asked me to watch Elena, and all I know of that is that what you walked in on. He's meeting Elijah right now." Stefan's eyes went from wary to incredulous in less time than it took Caroline to blink.

"Does he want to get himself killed?" Stefan hissed, Caroline was faster as Stefan raced towards the door.

"Do you want to get him killed? I think Elijah only wanted to talk to him. Damon was calm." She wasn't surprised when Stefan pinned her against the door, and had her by the throat. "I think more importantly, you should see why Elena took off like a bat out of hell when she saw you. Her confession aside, you don't look that upset about it." Stefan's hand dropped from her neck and he moved quickly away, but not before she saw his pain filled eyes.

He sat heavily on the sofa, and leaned his head back glaring at the ceiling. "It's because I already knew." He spoke his gaze landing on Caroline.

"You don't care?" Caroline asked, as she walked over to him.

"Of course I care." He snapped. "But I lost her long before that." His head was in his hands. "I knew when I chose my brother over her I lost her."

"Are you that naïve? Both Damon and Elena looked for you, and both almost got killed because of you, and you almost killed Elena! They wanted to save you from yourself! You didn't lose her then, your stupidity lost her!" Caroline hissed. She kicked the sofa over and Stefan went with it, but he got to his feet fast. "There now that you're on your feet go talk to her." Caroline shoved him hard on the back.

* * *

Having heard most of Caroline's argument with Stefan, all Elena wanted to do was hide to get away what would happen next. She wanted to run away from all of this, and find Damon. She buried herself under the covers of Damon's bed. She didn't know why she'd come to his room maybe because he made her feel safe. Even when he wasn't there his scent filled her mind and calmed her. It was the only scent she knew she'd learned, besides blood.

There was a soft knock, and Elena could almost hear Stefan's hesitation. She swallowed, and said quietly. "Come in."

She sat up in the middle of Damon's bed with his blankets around her shoulders. She wasn't cold not at all his blankets just made her feel like he was holding her. When Stefan came in and didn't immediately say anything she looked up. He had his back to her, and it looked like he was trying to control what he was seeing.

"What I'm that hideous to you now?" She shivered as she asked. He turned at that. And she could see the anguish in his brooding eyes.

He shook his head no, and stepped closer. Elena could see the tears in his eyes, and she steeled herself. After all that had happened, all that he'd done, all that he hadn't done. It was the first time in her life that she didn't think she could forgive someone. She thought she'd be okay with this, but she was far from okay.

"I'm sorry, Elena…I can't tell you how sorry I _am_." His voice broke on the last word, and Elena looked down fingering Damon's silk sheets. "I was only doing as you asked." At that Elena looked up, and she frowned.

She'd asked him to save Matt first. "I asked you to save Matt; I don't blame you for that." She whispered, and she saw some relief in his eyes, but she wasn't finished. "Where have you been?" Try as she might, she couldn't keep the bitterness and hurt out of her tone.

He came to stand a little closer to Damon's bed, and looked anywhere but at her. "I didn't think you wanted me here." Elena's eyebrows dipped in annoyance.

"You didn't think I wanted you here?" She was suddenly on her feet, and crossing the room, Stefan had countered and moved not wanting to fight her, or touch her it seemed. She felt her veins constricting under her eyes, and backed away from Stefan; trying to calm down enough to get this conversation over with. "You didn't think I wanted you here?" She was distracted for a moment on how different she sounded with her fangs. "Of course I wanted you here and Damon wanted you here. You left us all alone Stefan." She turned away from him; she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. It didn't matter now, he didn't matter, and she hated herself for that. But he'd left her; it almost felt like he'd left her to die.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could say, Elena laughed darkly at that, and whipped around. Her eyes once again human, but they shot daggers at him.

"You're sorry? Stefan that's not enough! I know at the end it wasn't the same between us, and it will never be again. But I loved you, I never unfell for you." She'd stepped closer now and Stefan looked like he was going to start to cry.

"You never unfell for me?" He said almost inaudibly.

"When I was human…" She let it trail off, and calmed herself. "I love him Stefan, I always have. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with him. I thought I knew what I wanted when I was human, but I was scared to admit that Stefan. I will always love you, but _I'm not in love with you_." Her lips trembled, and she turned away, as the veins constricted around her eyes. She covered her face, and tried to breathe slowly.

Stefan slowly put his hands on her shoulders, and turned her to face him. "Elena, watch me…" She dropped her hands, and looked at him; he had let his eyes change as well, and then slowly brought them back with a calming breath. It was what Caroline had said he had done for her. She was able to do it, and stepped away from his grasp. "I'm sure Damon has said it, but it takes time. When you're upset…" He let the words trail off.

"He has." Elena crossed her arms, and walked slowly back over to Damon's bed, and plopped down cross legged. Stefan, walked over to the chair beside the bed looking uncomfortable to be in there.

"Has he shown you how too…" Again he trailed off here.

"No ring, I can't go out. But he's teaching me control if that's what you mean." Stefan nodded.

He looked at his hands, and then out the window. "I'm not in control enough to help you." He muttered, and stood.

"You don't have to be." Elena stood and walked over to the window beside him. "I can understand –" He cut her off.

"You're not a ripper Elena! You can't understand what goes on in here!" He snapped harshly, pointing at himself. He took a deep breath, and looked ashamed. He went on in a softer tone. "I don't even understand it." Elena shivered at the pain in his voice, and had to walk away from him.

"I can understand being so filled with hunger that I hurt Damon." She whispered.

"Hurt Damon?" He inquired.

"I pushed him away when I had my first blood bag…and tore into it, if it had been a person." Stefan was already shaking his head.

"You were conscious of what you were doing – I'm not conscious of what I'm doing when I'm in blood lust. I can't stop, do you understand that? I rip them apart." She didn't want to hear anymore, and moved further away from him.

She knew that he could control himself, but he'd recently fed she could sense that somehow. He was emotional yes, but he wasn't normal Stefan emotional. The ripper was controlling his emotions as well. She saw him shake his head.

"I need to go." Stefan finally said, and was gone before she could blink. Elena ran after him, and stopped when she didn't see him in the parlor. Caroline looked up from the book she was reading, she set down her iPod as well. So she hadn't been listening. That much she could tell.

* * *

Damon rang the witch's doorbell. Bonnie was quick to answer, and moved out of the way for him to enter. She had to invite him. "I don't like this." She muttered.

Damon crossed his arms, and glared at her. "I'm only here for the ring." He raised an eyebrow.

"I just finished it. Now, you know that I can take it away." Damon frowned.

"_It's Elena_, Bonnie…" Bonnie looked startled that he'd said her name, and not his normal spiteful nick names.

She recovered herself, and pushed past him towards her desk. "I realize that, but I have to say it Damon I said the same thing to Caroline. If she spills one drop of –" Damon stopped her holding out a hand.

"I understand you don't have to recite it." His eyes were narrow.

"Damon…" She sighed.

Suddenly he was livid. "_She needs you Witch_! No matter how hard it is for you to accept that she is now a vampire. She's still Elena!" He stepped closer, and shocked them both by putting his hands on her shoulders. "You don't like me, and honestly you're not my favorite person either. But understand this witch; I will do everything in my power to protect Elena from ever shedding any innocent blood." His eyes were fierce, and Bonnie shivered at the look. She had been about to give him an annersyum but was too shocked by his sincerity. He went on softer now. "She needs her friends, Bonnie. You know her." He released her shoulders stepping back. Bonnie nodded, as tears fell down her cheeks.

She sunk slowly onto her bed still clutching the daylight ring. "I'm sorry." She whispered. Damon stepped closer, and knelt down in front of her.

"You love her, as do I…now can I have the daylight ring?" He held his hand out palm up, fixing his eyes on her with a sincere look. Bonnie held out a shaking hand, and dropped the ring into his open hand. "I promise you I will take care of her, but you in turn need to promise me something." He waited for her to look up. "Don't break her…losing you, or anything will only lead her on the path of losing her humanity. So set your prejudices aside and be there." He stood and was gone.

He had about 5 minutes to get to the Wickery Bridge. When he stepped out of Bonnie's house he stuck the ring in the tiny box in his pocket and got in his car.

He got there before Elijah and found himself standing there, just staring at the twisted metal guard rail that had failed to keep Matt's truck from careening over the side into the angry water below. Damon thought back to the way Elena had described it and shuddered, it was one thing holding her as she spoke about it, but it was another if he saw the carnage first hand.

His eyes drifted to the center of the road, in what might have been the position that Rebekah had stood. His blood boiled, and a low growl emitted from his chest if he got his hands on Rebekah… He could practically hear the crash, the sound of wheels screeching, and the truck hitting the water with a loud crash. His hands found the guard rail, and squeezed until he heard it grinding further.

His thoughts and imagination were running amuck of last night. His blood boiled further, and his breathing sped up. He had to calm down.

"Damon" Damon's eyes snapped open and he turned, seeing the original standing before him. He felt his eyes change, and had to breathe in deeply to calm himself.

His eyes were blazing, and he said with a sneer. "Elijah." He turned to look back down at the water. "What the hell do you want?"

"It's not what I want that should concern you, it's what Rebekah wants." Damon turned back to glare at the original.

Damon couldn't answer as he continued to glare at Elijah. He saw Elijah taking in the wrecked bridge he looked unnerved by it all.

He swallowed once, and his mask was back on. "I stopped by Elena's home last night." Damon had him by the throat in a millisecond. Elijah easily pushed him off, but not roughly.

"I told you, you I have no quarrel with yo-"

"I don't trust you." Damon bit out.

"I didn't hurt Jeremy. I was looking for Elena, Rebekah…" He trailed off, looking at the wickery bridge once more and then back at Damon.

Damon was surprised by his stricken face, was it just now that he was putting it all together? "Rebekah told me it was finished, she told me if I stood in her way, she'd hurt you and Stefan both…she said that Elena…that she took care of Mr. Saltzman."

"Your lovely sister, stood right over there last night as Matt's truck went over this guard rail…while Elena was a passenger. She drowned Elijah, but of course you know that, why else did you think we needed your help." Damon took a step closer, canting his head to the side his eyes narrowed dangerously. Elijah was still staring in horror at the guard rail. He peeled his eyes away from the guard rail and stared at Damon. Damon was waiting for him to reply.

Elijah went on in a stricken voice. "I'm assuming that she's staying at the boarding house now that she's turned?"

"Yep" Damon crossed his arms, to keep from grabbing and shaking him.

"How?"

"It happened just as I said Elijah, don't tell me she didn't tell you the details of Elena's demise, did she?" Damon's voice was sarcastic, and on edge, but it wasn't as harsh as it could be. He studied the originals face a moment longer, he didn't know. "You don't know." Damon swallowed, "She killed Elena." He explained his voice now rough.

Elijah was glaring at him, his eyes narrow, and he was clenching his fists. "She wouldn't do that, I don't believe you."

"Fine, I'm lying, I get off on it, if you don't believe me. Where the hell is your sister." Damon snarled, stepping closer they were nose to nose now.

"She would never kill Elena, you're lying. She knows I would –" Damon interrupted him.

"Oh, come on!" He shouted, pushing Elijah back a step. "You know that she hated her! And you both knew what would happen if Ric died!" His throat swelled with emotion and he cursed silently. "You knew it was a win-win; kill Elena, Ric's DEAD!" He shoved Elijah back hard, and he stumbled a few steps.

Elijah was frowning, at a memory, and his eyes clouded. "She told me something…I" He swallowed, and his shoulders sagged. "I didn't think –"

"You didn't think she'd kill Elena, that you'd be applauding her into the undead. By letting Rebekah go? She's dead Elijah! Rebekah killed her!"

"Living dead." Elijah corrected. Damon's eyes widened with rage. Elijah reached out, and then dropped his arm.

"Shut the hell up, that's not the point! LIVING DEAD! The point is, your sister has a target on her, and when I find her, she'd better pray that she gets a chance!" Damon roared.

Elijah only nodded, but he was anything but calm. "I understand your rage, Damon." He looked up at him, and for a brief moment, Damon thought the original was going to lose it.

"You understand nothing, _nothing_." Damon seethed.

"Oh I understand Damon, except I lost her – I lost Tatia." His voice was rough.

Damon didn't want to hear about yet another doppelganger. "What does she have to do with Elena?"

"I loved her, and love is our greatest weakness…" He explained.

"Yeah well, I'm still going to kill your sister."

"I want you to wait before you attack Rebekah." Elijah said coldly his mask back in place.

"You've got to be kidding me, you can't stop me." Damon stepped closer again.

"Watch me," Elijah challenged,

"I don't care that you're an original." Elijah raised his eyebrow.

"I mean you or Elena no harm. Be patient, or you'll get yourself, and Elena killed, and that's dead Damon, no coming back from that. Elena needs you, wait. Be patient. I told you, you needed my help."

Damon rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I can't make any promises."

"I'm asking you to trust me." Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Trust you?" Damon asked incredously. He shook his head and snorted. "The sooner she's gone, dead and out of Elena's life…the better, Elena can move on – be safe." Damon looked up at the original, his rage slowly turning to anguish.

Damon shook his head…trying to keep his voice steady. "I can't –"Elijah stepped closer, and Damon thought he had looked deadly when he was full of rage, but he had nothing on Elijah. His eyes had darkened and his gaze locked with his, and his tone became deadly, one that would make lesser men run in terror.

"Why? you ask." Elijah's eye darkened even further. Damon took a step back. "Because, I'd like to have a word with her" Damon swallowed the bile in his throat that had risen, and nodded slightly.

It was a moment before Damon found his voice. "That's better." He murmured, and Elijah nodded backing away.

"I'll be in touch." And he was gone.

* * *

Damon stood there for a long moment until he heard something behind him. He was about to pull out the stake until he saw it was just his brother. He snarled at him, and crossed his arms.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked bitterly. He saw Stefan glance at the guard rail and he could see fine tremors running under his brother's skin. Well at least the emotions were back on. That didn't help his appearance though.

"I just left the boarding house Caroline told me that you were on your way to meet Elijah." Stefan shrugged coming closer. Something was off in his eyes Damon noted.

"I'm touched brother, you came to look after me." Damon snorted, rolling his eyes.

"I was just making sure you weren't getting yourself killed." Stefan walked over to the railing and looked down at the water, his shoulders tense and he looked back at him.

"I know you weren't here to look after me." Damon raised an eyebrow.

"I talked to Elena…I came to congratulate you." Stefan turned to face him. "For taking her away from me."

Damon crossed his arms, "There's no her to take Stefan. She doesn't want me." He narrowed his eyes trying to figure out Stefan's angle.

"Oh I'm pretty certain she wants you Damon." Stefan sneered. Damon had his brother by the shirt front, and pulled him closer. He shook his brother until he heard bones rattling.

He shoved him back hard, and Stefan tripped. "Elena isn't some game for me! She chose you Stefan! _You!_ The one that wasn't there for her as she transitioned, the one that nearly killed her yourself she'll forgive you Stefan, and it will all be rainbows and butterflies." Stefan chuckled darkly and Damon's gaze turned deadly.

"You are stupid brother…she chose you. I walked in on her confession to Caroline." He gritted his teeth, and pushed away from him and was gone.

Damon stared after his brother, his eyes wide. He blurred out of there starting to follow, when he heard a twig snap behind him.

"Well it must be my lucky day…" The voice said. Damon's eyes narrowed as he turned to face the voice.

"Nah, just your last one." And he blurred forward, and at the last moment, staked the vampire through the heart.

xo

* * *

Please review, and let me know what you think. There will be more DELENA next chapter! :)


	7. Chapter 7 Uncertain

**Thanks so much for all the reviews, adds and alerts I very overwhelmed and touched by all of them. They mean the world to me. Sorry that it's been a little bit for an update, I've been taking care of a family member, finishing up school and too many finals, and I'm finally on a break yay! I can get back to writing and updating. Please leave me a review, and hopefully I'll have chapter 8 up soon, I'm working on it right now. Please leave a review and thank you :) **

**Hugs!**

**Blue**

**Summary:** "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He compelled her to forget their first meeting, and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything?Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. How will that impact S/E and how will that help D/E. Delena story.

**Pairing:** Damon and Elena

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or its characters.

**_Thank you goes to Kate2008 for beta work :)_**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Uncertain**

Damon fell back on his heels as the inferno raged, he hoped the stake wasn't a _one use thing_ and then canned that idea - Ric had staked Klaus with it. After the raging blaze went out Damon stood over the remains of Kol. He'd taken the original off guard he was certain of that. Elijah said he wanted him to wait before he staked Rebekah he didn't say he could not kill the rest of them.

He stood slowly, brushing his hands off on his jeans. After picking the stake back up he put it back in the pocket of his leather jacket tucking it safely inside. With a branch he buried what was left of the original, took his ring, then flashed the hell out of there making his way back to where he had parked his car.

Staking Kol had been one of his more idiotic ideas but it was one last original to deal with. He had also thought to pocket Kol's cell phone that had somehow survived the fire. Not a real fire he mused, as he got in his car and fired it up. He had one more stop to make on his way back to the boarding house. Get Ric back to the tomb.

Later they would give him a more proper burial as they had planned. He saluted his friend, and slowly made his way out of the tomb after pushing the boulder back in place. No one besides another supernatural could open that.

* * *

Elena curled up tightly hugging her knees to her chest and closing her eyes to block away her raging thoughts. Damon had been gone a long time. She'd never get to tell him that she loved him. Fine tremors shook her body, this whole new thing of being a vampire, and having out of control emotions was destroying her. She couldn't get back her sense of control.

"Elena." Caroline's soft voice filled her ears as she gathered her into her arms. "Damon will be fine." That's what set her off they hadn't had a chance to finish their conversation from earlier.

"You don't approve of him do you?" Elena sat up wiping her eyes, and pushing herself away from Caroline. Caroline looked down at her hands, and then back up at her with tears in her eyes.

She reached for her hands, and held them tightly. "I don't want to see you hurt sweetie, I know he's changed, I can see that." Elena stopped her.

"I'm scared Caroline, I'm scared if I let him in he's going to consume me." She finally admitted, sure she loved him. And still besides telling Stefan she wasn't in love with him. She still loved him. She would always love him. Was that fair to Damon? "I love them both, Stefan will always love me, and he will be what I thought was safe, and Damon…he consumes me, he's the air I breath, he's like a drug to me Care, everything I feel for him is so strong, and it scares me. I feel so out of control." Elena dropped her head in her hands and let out a strangled sob.

"When I'm with him," she dropped her hands, and looked back up at her friend. "I'm…who I should be, he pulls the barriers away, and I can be imperfect, I can be insane, he may be overprotective but he trusts me…I guess I'd say he pulls that crazy side of me out. That I can just have fun and forget about the world. He's exhilarating, passionate, dangerous, and scary all at the same time. I'm scared because what if now after all this and I'm in love with him what if I'm not good enough, what if he doesn't want me." Her eyes were wide with fear, and understanding at the same time.

Caroline, was surprised too. She shook her head, and smiled at her. "Lena, if that's all you're scared of, rest easy. I've seen the way he looks at you." She hugged her tightly.

Elena was shaking her head. But Caroline went on ignoring her completely, "Let me finish, I'm no expert, but love is never easy, I mean look at me and Matt or…or Ty-Tyler… It doesn't compare to what you feel for them, but true love, Soulmate's whatever Damon is to you it will never be easy, he won't make it easy and if it was then it wouldn't be thrilling, passionate, breathtaking and heartbreaking all in one."

"I think Damon challenges you as much as you challenge him. I think you consume him; you break him and make him into a better man. You challenge him to break down those barriers. You love him…he loves you, and honey; you want a love that consumes you, that's passionate, and dangerous. We all do sweetie, that's what attracted me to Damon…he's the bad boy. But you know what, he's also the one that will keep you safe, because he'll let you be you." Elena sat their blinking back her tears, and staring at her friend.

"Where did that come from…" Elena giggled, with tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh come on, I just gave you the most epic advice and all you do is laugh." Caroline pushed her on the shoulder, and wiped her own eyes. But she was laughing with her.

"Yes, but thank you…you said everything I needed to hear. I love you Care." The embraced each other for a long moment, and Elena laid her had on Caroline's shoulder.

"Damon will be fine" she soothed, she still wasn't fully accepting of Elena with the elder Salvatore brother, but she knew that what Damon did to her was in a different life for both of them. She would have to be blind not to see how much Damon had changed over the past year. He was somehow still Damon, but there was a side of himself that he only showed Elena. She'd only seen that side of him once when he thought Elena was dead.

"He should have been back by now Caroline." Elena sniffed, and scooted to a seated position. "What if it was a trap, and…and." Caroline shook her head and Elena broke off.

"If anyone can outwit a trap it's Damon, he smarter than you are giving him credit for." She smoothed Elena's hair back that had falling out of her messy pony tail.

Caroline scooted up and wrapped her strong arms around her friend's shoulders. "And you know that. It's just your emotions playing tricks with you. Trust me, the first few weeks as a vampire it's impossible to control your emotions. Damon will be fine sweetie, you know that."

Elena wanted to object, but she knew her friend was right. Damon was smart, and she wasn't giving him enough credit. He probably was at the grille or something she decided. "You're right, I'm sorry."

Caroline gave her, her best grin and kissed her cheek. "Now why don't we take care of that other need?" Caroline had hopped up and held out her hand. Elena stared at it. "The other need I can see on your face." Caroline explained to Elena's confused expression.

"I'm not hungry." She was shaking her head. Caroline just grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"We're eternally thirsty, and when we're young, we want to stay on top of it." She dragged her out of Damon's room. Elena suddenly felt exposed, and wanted to fight. "Elena – he's coming back."

"I just feel safe in there." She muttered.

"I won't let anything happen to you. Remember I beat up Damon." She winked at her, and Elena rolled her eyes.

She shook her head, and laughed at the irony of that. "You were madder, and Damon loves a good girl fight." She squeezed Caroline's hand, she thought maybe too hard, but her friend didn't complain. If she was going to see any human friends of hers she had to get that under control.

Caroline opened up Damon's freezer, and reached in to grab them both a bag. "Do you know what you prefer?" Caroline asked suddenly.

"Whatever Damon's been feeding me, why?" She asked.

Caroline snorted, and closed the door. "Because we all have a favorite since Damon's blood was what sired me, I like what he likes." She shook a bag with the letter O on it. Elena frowned, trying to remember if Damon had told her that or not. "He probably gave you his favorite." She smiled.

"Wouldn't he want to keep that to himself?" Elena questioned as she opened her bag, the aroma hitting her nose, and filling her senses with a sudden excitement.

"He wouldn't give anyone else his favorite. But you sister, he would." She had opened her own bag, and Elena noticed she had the same kind.

"Does that mean I was sired to by Damon?" Caroline shrugged, and rolled up her bag setting it aside. Elena finished hers and they walked up the stairs together.

They sat down on the sofa in the parlor close together; Caroline wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "I don't know." She stopped when her voice cracked and looked down at her hands.

"What is it?" She asked Caroline at her sudden change in emotion.

"I'm just glad you're still here, no matter how selfish that is of me." She sniffed, and giggled as she wiped her tears away. "Did Meredith tell you before she gave you the blood?" She asked.

Elena shook her head, and folded her hands in her lap. "No, I was unconscious when Jeremy brought me in." She looked at her friend.

"I should have known, and stayed by your side that day. It was stupid for me to leave." She sniffed.

"Damon feels the same way Caroline, and I'm sure that Stefan does too. I kept the pain to myself; there was already too much going on. I was the stupid one. Damon had said she had only giving me enough blood to heal what was wrong with me. She didn't think that it would be enough to bring me back."

Caroline frowned. "When did Damon say that?" She asked finding her hand and taking it.

"He was talking a lot the night he brought me back to the boarding house. He probably thought I didn't hear him, because I was resting and he was just muttering to himself."

Caroline laid her head against her shoulder and Elena reached up and patted her head. "Is it selfish of me to be happy you transitioned? If it is I'm sorry, I'm just so glad that I have someone to share with." Tears slid silently down her cheeks.

Elena squeezed her friend's shoulders. "You always had me." Elena whispered, tears falling down her cheeks too. "But it's not selfish, I'm happy I have you too. There's a lot you can't tell a guy." Elena snorted, and Caroline did too.

"Damon wouldn't listen either." She was giggling now.

"You're right, and wrong. He was there for me with Stefan, I know my tears scared him, and he wasn't always sure how to comfort me. But, that unsure side of him is one of the many reasons I do love him. It makes him adorable." Caroline snorted, and was still giggling.

She looked up after she composed herself. "I don't know how Damon would feel that you shared that with me." Caroline smiled.

"I'm sure he wouldn't like it." Elena grinned.

"Wouldn't like what?" Damon smirked; he was leaning against the wall across the room, a smirk plastered across his lips. Elena looked up startled; how he could sneak up on them she wasn't sure. She was across the room and pulling him into her arms in a split second. Damon was frozen a second, and then she felt him wrap his arms around her gently.

His hands felt good on her low back as he made circles lightly across it. His warm hands ran up her back, her sides and came to a rest on her shoulders and collar bone as he thumbs gently stroked her sensitive flesh. His eyes were unreadable, but calm. "Happy to see me." He gave her his usual smirk and then his smirk turned into a crooked smile.

Elena only nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck again.

* * *

His gaze landed on Caroline who had walked over. "Thank you." He mouthed, and Caroline nodded. She pointed up at the ceiling and he nodded slightly. He could use Caroline there. He at least trusted her. And it would be good for Elena to have a girlfriend there. He had heard their little talk. And yes some things you just couldn't tell a guy. He wouldn't know what to do and he'd readily admit that.

Elena pushed back, and looked up at him with teary eyes. His hands cupped her face. "What is it?" He whispered. His thumbs brushed under her eyes and their gazes locked.

"You ran out of here so fast." She said finally, crossing her arms and standing back. Damon couldn't think of anything to say, as he drew back a step himself. He started and stopped a few times.

He cleared his throat, but it still came out rough. "Elena..." She stopped him, taking his hand in her own.

"I owe you an apology." She started but he stopped her.

"Elena…" He was shaking his head, and then he just canted his head to his side and narrowed his eyes.

"But I do, Damon please don't shut me out." He held up his hands, and went over to his destroyed bar, at least the alcohol was still okay; he poured them each a glass.

He handed her a glass, and she downed it. Damon frowned, and handed her his. She downed that too. "What makes you think I'm shutting you out?" He led her over to the sofa, and sat with her. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

She didn't answer him, just bit her lower lip and kept her eyes downcast. She was quiet a long time. "I've been so stupid." She whispered and looked up at him, he was confused naturally. But he remained quiet just waiting. She'd expected him to have a comeback for that. That he'd have lightened the tension that filled the room. But he was as tense as her, more so maybe. He wasn't shutting her out, and that surprised her.

When he finally couldn't take the silence any longer he took her chin, and pulled it so he could stare into her eyes. "Elena..." He said calmly. Elena blinked away the moisture that filled her eyes, and searched his. His eyes were intense like he was preparing himself for what she was going to say, or what she wouldn't say.

Elena finally blurted after a long moment of just searching his face and eyes calmly. "I love you." Damon blinked a minute, and his hand dropped from her chin. He stood quickly, and walked over to the fireplace staring quietly into it.

She hadn't expected that. She got up slowly and made her way over to him. Her hand coming to rest on his shoulder and he stiffened under her touch. "I'm too late." She whispered, he heard that, and whirled around. Grabbing her face with his hands, a little too roughly, his eyes searched her face, and the emotions in his eyes were fierce.

He was breathing hard, and his hands were a little too rough on her cheeks, his eyes were brighter than normal, but also the walls were up. He took another breath, started to say something then stopped with a frown on his face.

"I don't understand you – first you tell me it will always be Stefan, and you tell me that 'I'm letting you go' Elena..." He broke off exasperatedly. Elena hadn't expected anger and she couldn't fight back the tears that suddenly were falling down her cheeks and over his hands.

Damn emotion and she couldn't wipe them away as Damon had a firm grip on her face. He was still staring at her his eyes had softened at her tears. "Why are you doing this?" He was angry now, tears had come to his eyes, and he turned away from her, his shoulders stiff.

She was too late, she decided. He doesn't believe her, and she was sure that he'd never believe her. She had to prove it if he was going to ever trust her words. He had his back to her, and she knew now that was difficult for a vampire to do. She'd never be able to have her back to anyone; it was instinct to always see their prey, victim or enemy. But Damon wasn't any of those.

She took a small step forward, to place her hands on his shoulders but he shrugged her off rougher than he ever had when she was human, it startled her, but it didn't hurt her. "Damon I was scared." She sniffed, and turned him around, this time he let her.

His eyes had softened more as he watched her tears; he turned his head to the side, and grimaced. "Elena...don't cry" He murmured, and reached out with a gentle hand to wipe away her tears.

"I'm sorry –" He stopped her with his finger to her lips.

"Shh…" He smiled sadly.

"Let me explain." But it came out muffled. He took a step back, and she followed him over to the sofa. He sat down heavily.

"What do you mean by scared?" He muttered, and turned to look at her. His eyes were guarded, and she knew that she deserved his wariness.

She looked at her hands that were folded in her lap, and she heard him groan. She knew that he was losing his patience with her. She swallowed hard. "You weren't safe; you challenge me Damon and bring out a side of me that I love and hate at the same time. You're not afraid to scare me, and you always want me to be honest with myself. It's like the walls that I built around myself were and have always been gone with you. And to be honest that scared me." She looked down, and his hand reached out and took her chin in his palm.

"That doesn't explain why you we're scared." He said warily.

"But don't you see Damon, it does. Matt was too safe, and Stefan was safe enough. But, they aren't enough…for me. Stefan's love was safe he would always love me, he was afraid to disappoint me, or stand up to me, I could control that." Damon's gaze didn't leave her face.

She sighed, and Damon brushed her hair behind her ear. "When we first met, the first time, not the time I thought; you told me I want a love that consumes, me that I want passion and adventure, and maybe even a little danger… you were right." She blinked rapidly, as the moisture filled her eyes. He still was silent, and not saying anything. His eyes were unreadable and tense.

Damon broke eye contact with her and pulled in a deep breath. "Then be honest with me now Elena, do you still love Stefan?" He asked. He still wasn't looking at her, and his shoulders were stiff, actually his entire body was stiff.

"Yes Damon – but wait." She said urgently, as he stiffened further and seemed like he was going to leave. "I'm always going to love him Damon, but I'm not _in love_ with him. I loved the fairy tale." Her voice broke. She couldn't bear to look up at his face; she had expected he'd leave now she dropped her face in her hands. She felt him shift, and his hands gently take her by the shoulders. She tried to fight him, but couldn't. She finally looked up at him, and was surprised at the vulnerability in his eyes.

"You hurt me –." His voice was more unsteady than he wanted it. But he continued. "…and I don't know why I'm not going to make you work for it." He paused, as she looked up into his blue orbs. They were shining with uncertain emotion; but she could see every emotion that battled its way through him. "But I'm not strong enough to push you away…I love you Elena, all of you. But I'm not good for you."

"No Damon…" He was shaking his head.

"Let me continue you owe me that…" He said gruffly, and swallowed hard. "You know that loving me is going to be a challenge. I'm not like anyone you ever have." He ended in a whisper.

"_Then let me love you_." She whispered back, resting her hand against his cheek.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it, and please leave me a review I should have the next chapter up soon. Hugs! Blue**


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N... Okay I'm trying this again... Thank you so much to those of you that PM'd and let me know that this didn't got through... Thank you! thank you SOOO much! I'm PMing you and saying thank you been having issues there too,,, but thank you!. I've been having some issues with here to get it posted. Putting an alternative method on my profile for anyone to check that out... or I will PM. Again I thank you... I don't know what happened, that id didn't get posted. Thank you so much for each of your reviews... I can't tell you how much it means... I love to write... and I love TVD... so everything means much to me... Thank you so much for the encouragement... or suggestions which I am very open too. I'm changing my rating, and to me...as a writer it means little, I will still have the plot I have...only a little more detailed maybe? Just this Chapter...made me think that maybe I'd up my rating... but, you will still get what you have read... no doubt...:) I'm very nervous about posting this chapter... 1. it is very long... 2. I have never written **Delena** this way... and I'm very scared to do it ... so readers... let me know... do you like it? do you love it? Where can I improve? :) I'm very new at this so be kind... PM me if you want... But also review... I'd love to hear your feedback... I don't know how to create a poll... haven't done that yet... but, do you want more like this chappie, adding in the plot of course... which there will be plot...:) I just need thoughts...:) Again... Thank you! give me suggestions... please :) _

_Love, BLUE... _

_Please Review... Thanks...:)_

**_Love you! Blue :)_**

**_Thank you so much too Lioness002__! Thank you! check out her story (lost in time) it is awesome... :) _**

**Summary:** "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He compelled her to forget their first meeting, and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything?Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. How will that impact S/E and how will that help D/E. Delena story.

**Pairing:** Damon and Elena

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or its characters.

* * *

**_previously on chapter 7..._**

_"You hurt me –." His voice was more unsteady than he wanted it. But he continued. "…and I don't know why I'm not going to make you work for it." He paused, as she looked up into his blue orbs. They were shining with uncertain emotion; but she could see every emotion that battled its way through him. "But I'm not strong enough to push you away…I love you Elena, all of you. But I'm not good for you."_

_"No Damon…" He was shaking his head._

_"Let me continue you owe me that…" He said gruffly, and swallowed hard. "You know that loving me is going to be a challenge. I'm not like anyone you ever have." He ended in a whisper._

_"Then let me love you." She whispered back, resting her hand against his cheek._

* * *

_**Chapter 8 – Right where I want to be**_

Damon couldn't describe the rush of emotions hit him in his chest, and flew through him everywhere. _'Then let me love you.' _Elena was still waiting for his response as he stood staring at her mutely, she had just rendered him completely and utterly speechless. With embarrassing reality, he realized he was trembling beneath the hand that she held to his cheek. He didn't know if he could speak as he tried to think around the emotions that were assaulting his system. He felt like a newbie vampire again, _hell_ he felt _human _again. The pain between his shoulder blades made him realize how tense he'd become as he continued to stare at the woman before him. She began to blur before him so he blinked, we couldn't have that.

"Then let me love you" He slowly repeated in his head. His heart swelled to the point where he thought it was going to burst. Closing his eyes briefly, he brought his hands up to her shoulders and caressed the tender flesh there.

Elena took in a shaky breath as she read the emotions on Damon's face, she whispered his "Damon –" Silencing her with his mouth, he backed her against the closed front door roughly, but it was full of unhindered passion, causing her to gasp into his mouth. _God, what is it with him and hard surfaces?_ She wondered as she felt Damon's hands wind themselves into the dark tresses of her hair and he wrapped another around her waist, drawing her closer until every inch of her body was flush against his. She panted into his mouth, and moaned at the fire and electricity between them. She parted her lips, allowing his tongue access so it could dance with hers like a gentle caress. Within the kiss she could taste the salt of her tears and possibly his, she wasn't sure. She knew he wouldn't admit to it, but it touched her that he'd showed her that vulnerability once again.

"Elena," he breathed as he burned a trail of hot kisses down her jaw, neck and collarbone. "I –" He couldn't finish what he was trying to say as he pulled her ever closer and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Gasping, as she pressed herself fully against him, and feeling what he couldn't tell her.

"Damon I know…." She mumbled as desire shot through her tenfold… she gasped at it. "God" she breathed out as he took her earlobe in his mouth and tasted it. "I know…"

"Fuck…" Damon thought or said out loud, he wasn't sure. He placed tender kisses against her hot skin as his hands ran over every smooth curve of her and he tasted her from her mouth, neck and ear as he murmured… "I – Elena… you have to be sure." He breathed against her ear as he ravished her; he had to remind himself that he should be gentle. Elena was still thinking like a human, and he'd waited so long for this moment that he didn't want to scare her… he'd waited so long to hear those three little words. For him to be chosen first instead of always being the second choice. A pang shot through him as he thought about the future, what if he wasn't enough for her? The notion almost sent him to his knees, but he steeled himself and let her love him.

As they explored and their passion grew even more intense, Damon felt her change as she gripped him tighter and she nibbled on his neck. He felt her fangs against his neck, and chuckled a little. "Elena –" He took her face gently in his hands and let his thumbs trace over the veins under her eyes as she stared into his eyes with unbridled passion. He watched as she closed her eyes as he ran his hand through her hair, pulling her even closer against him. "I know…" He murmured and closed his eyes too as his vampirism tried to claw its way past his tight, but fragile at the moment, control. 'Calm down Salvatore, calm down…one thing at a time' His haze filled mind told him.

Elena was trembling, as they continued on in their passion against the door, and it would have done him in right there if he wasn't so focused on her. Her heart was pounding out a rhythm against his chest.

"Damon…" She whimpered and drew herself closer to him as she raced through her crazy emotions.

"I know…" he whispered as he drew her up into his arms, and carried her bridal style across the floor and to his room. He set her down as soon as they crossed the threshold. But held her hand in his as he turned towards her, and took in her flushed cheeks, and it nearly had him on his knees, she could be his fully, if he played his cards right. But this had to be her choice, and even though it was hypothetically tearing him limb from limb to not just rip her clothes off this very instant, he had to know. Damn him and his humanity he thought as Elena slowly stepped closer to him.

She touched his cheek, gently caressing it. "What's wrong?" She murmured looking up at him with her doe eyes so delicious and warm. They were full of desire for him, _for him_ for fuck's sake; he tried to fight back a shudder, but he was unsuccessful. He took her face in his hands, and leaned in and kissed her tenderly.

"Everything's …right" He broke off to lick his dry lips as he closed his eyes briefly and his eyes burned behind his lids. "You don't know how long I have waited…" He broke off, cursing himself for this vulnerability. It was the same vulnerability that he had with Katherine so long ago, only with Elena it was more intense. He couldn't take it if she rejected him. He opened his eyes, and put all his passion, and love in his next words. "I love you Elena, so I have to know that this is what you want…" He said pulling in an unsteady breath and feeling his own eyes water.

Elena frowned.

He brushed her hair behind her ears, and held her face gently. "I want to let you love me…" he whispered, "but I want you to be sure…no regrets."

Elena stepped closer to him, and placed her hands on either side of his head, mimicking what he had just done. "I love you Damon, I will never regret this…you, us… _I want you - all of you_." Tears made their way down her cheeks, and she stepped even closer. "I –"

He silenced her with his mouth as they made their way blindly to his bed. He kicked his door shut and he relished this moment. So many times he had pictured this moment, he'd wanted it to be precious like she was to him. He reached up and drew slow circles over the delicate skin at the base of her neck, and collarbone, and he lightly stroked her neck and collarbone.

Willingly, Elena allowed him to lower her to the mattress and they began to get lost in one another.

Arching against him, Elena pressed her body to his from hip to chest as the steady and slow dance of their lips grew in passion and became more eager. Damon drew her near to him, and he sampled every inch of her exposed skin.

"You're –"

"Damon –"

They started in unison and both chuckled. He drew back a little and raised his eyebrow as Elena delicately blushed.

Damon gently caressed her cheek and whispered "You first." He leaned down and nipped at her neck with the blunt edge of his human teeth. She drew closer as a shudder went through her body.

"I was going to say that you're overdressed." She smirked at his feigned surprised look. She brought her hands around his shoulders and pulled the first few buttons through, but it was enough of an invitation for Damon to just pull his shirt over his head, and throw it across the room. Her hands positioned themselves against his powerful chest as her eyes glistened with need and passion.

"I couldn't agree more." He whispered against her neck as he slipped the strap of her camisole off her shoulder and he ran his lips over her sensitive and heated flesh. "We should remedy that situation." He tugged the other strap down and repeated what he'd done on that shoulder, only this time he was more tender and delicate. It brought tears to Elena's eyes, Stefan had never been this tender, this passionate with her and she struggled to maintain the fragile composure that surrounded her.

Meeting his blue gaze, she pulled in a startled breath as she looked up at him; his face was a light with passion and hunger for her. She was right, Caroline was right. _He consumed her_. Over the last year he'd done everything in his power to protect her, he stood by her through her best and at her worst even when she'd denied him her and hurt him so much. Her hand reached up and traced the soft flesh of his cheeks, and he leaned into the touch. It was the other way around. She didn't deserve him. She gazed up into his beautiful blue eyes mesmerized as she now knew he was the man that she had always loved, and he was who she wanted to spend eternity with.

How could she ever deny him again? If she lived to be a thousand, she would never…ever deny him. As he watched her now, with desire and unbridled passion in his eyes, with no walls, the longing magnified. She saw the real Damon, not the barest of glimpses into his vulnerability that he had shown only to her. But she saw him, not the man that battled against being the better man. She saw him, his passion and what he lived by. He was her soul mate true and true. She realized with a start that as much as she craved him…

_He craved her._

_HER…_

This beautiful beyond question, man, craved her… Tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Damon stopped, and leaned back a little.

"Elena?" He caressed her cheek and looked at her sincerely and that just unhinged her more.

"You love _me."_ She murmured brokenly through her tears, and she watched as tears filled his eyes. He closed them, and shook his head a little regaining his composure quickly. As he leaned down and captured her lips with his, he kissed her tenderly, but passionately at the same time.

"Without question… I love you." He said with the same passion he'd said so many times before. Her smile lit up the room, and he found himself floundering for his own composure once again as he looked into her beautiful chocolate eyes. "I love you." He leaned down and kissed her once more.

She smiled. "I love you." She said again, and it lit a fire in him….once again.

He smirked, and chuckled a little. "Now can we get back to the over-dressed part?" He said as his eyes smoldered, and he did the eye thing that she loved and hated at the same time. She reached for the hem of her shirt but he knocked her hands away and she frowned. "Allow me" he grunted, a small smirk on his face. He wanted to be the one to undress her. He then had her camisole off and across the room.

Elena's heart was pounding out a rhythm… Damon smirked but pulled in a breath as he took her in, she was beautiful, and still overdressed as he leaned down and kissed her breast over her heart. His hands traced slowly and sensually over her ribcage, and he cupped her breasts through the thin fabric of her bra, Elena hissed and arched toward him. It shattered his control, and he wanted her. _Now_. Quickly he took her bra and flung it across the room leaving her top half naked.

Fighting to keep his pace slow and sensual, he ran his hands over her breasts, and down to her waist. Their eyes met as his fingers slowly dipped in the waist band of her shorts and tickled her across her stomach. He made quick work of her shorts sending them flying across the room like the rest of their clothes. Elena was tracing her fingers lightly on his stomach and he was ready to come undone. Screw slow, he thought once again.

He caught her hands as they reached for her panties, "That's my job" He murmured kissing her fingers as he sent them to across the room. Elena was panting as her eyes widened, but she smirked as she made quick work of his jeans and boxers.

When they were finally rid of their clothing, their lips met again. With equal passion, love and eagerness for first times, Damon was once again fighting to keep from coming undone. He had waited for her for two years. Realizing he hadn't even really looked at her yet, he wrenched his mouth away from hers and kissed a trail down her neck, between her breasts and across her stomach as her hips arched against his chest and he glanced back up at this beautiful woman before him. He could finally have Elena in every way. He thought, as his eyes softened, and a lump in his throat threatened to choke off his air supply.

Elena blushed at his study, and she was panting like she'd run a marathon.

Damon smirked as he made his way back up her body with hot kisses. He braced himself above her on his elbows. "You're beautiful." He murmured, and kissed her breathless once again. Elena shook her head, and touched his cheek with shy tenderness and it reminded him to be gentle with her, her humanity was still there, and he swallowed as he gave her one last chance to back out.

"Damon, I'm right where I want to be – no regrets, I love you." She promised, as she lifted her head to kiss him once again. "I'm not going anywhere"

Relief coursed its way through him "I know…" He smirked, as she rolled her eyes, and lightly smacked his chest. Damon leaned down and nipped at the tender flesh of her neck, and then with his tongue he soothed it. Elena's legs bucked up and she drew her knees up his thighs as he captured her mouth.

He lowered himself down, so his body was flush against hers once more. Her hands pulled softly through his hair, and tenderly massaged the base of his neck, both of them exploring with equal passion, memorizing each other as they came together in passion. Damon was afraid that it would be over before it began. His arms shook with effort, he wanted to give her everything, every pleasure he could as he slowly slipped his full length into her.

Elena gasped, as their slow movements suddenly became more intense, and shocking them both, she flipped them over in one graceful movement; Damon gripped her waist as he sat up quickly and buried his face in her neck and hair, getting himself lost in it. He had to fight the vampire within as he tasted her neck. He wanted to sink his teeth into her tender and heated flesh.

Reclaiming his control, Damon rolled them over and sunk himself even deeper within her. As Elena cried out in her release, she dug her nails into the flesh of his shoulders, if she hurt him he didn't complain, and soon followed after. They went strong into the night and then lay together in a tangle of bodies and sheets.

Elena was utterly exhausted. Damon stroked her hair as she snuggled into his chest and mumbled an unintelligible sound. Damon chuckled at this and she raised her head to look at him. "Wow…" She said for him, and she watched as his eyes lit up, making his face glow with so much intensity that it nearly blinded her.

"Wow because you've never had sex like that, or because you wanted to go again?" She collapsed against his chest once again, nuzzling her nose into the crook of his neck, and drawing in an unsteady breath.

"Wow, because I didn't know what I was missing." She murmured against his throat. She pulled in another breath to take in his scent as he nibbled on her earlobe and kissed her temple.

"I'm not going to say I told you so" She leaned her head up again to roll her eyes at him. She once again collapsed against him as he drew light circles against her back.

She blushed against his neck, and murmured "I love you, you know that right?" She looked up to meet his startled gaze.

He smirked after a moment of thought. "I'll never get tired of hearing it." He drew her closer still, "I love you Elena" he told her breathlessly as he kissed her nose.

Elena nodded and kissed him softly on the lips.

She laid her head back down again, and he listened as her breathing steadied, before she was still against him. He was truly in heaven as he crushed her gently against him and closed his eyes. All the while sending a silent thank you to whoever would have answered his prayer.

* * *

Before the sun could touch his bed, Damon slowly got up to close the curtains. Elena moaned as he did this, but she didn't open her eyes. Making his way back over to his bed, he leaned down and pulled the sheet to Elena's shoulders and leaned down caressing her cheek. Damon found his discarded jeans and slipped into them. She was going to need blood when she woke up and he couldn't go back to sleep if he tried.

He quietly left the room and made his way to the kitchen. He started the coffee maker and brewed a pot as he went and got them blood bags. Damon pulled out his favorite for her and noticed that a few more bags were missing than usual. He'd have to run for a supply soon now that he was feeding them both… and every random vampire that stopped by. He shut the freezer and flashed up the stairs.

Damon pulled down two mugs and poured coffee into them, putting cream into Elena's and his stayed black. He remembered this once when Stefan had made her coffee and had given it to her with sugar and cream. The small stuff, he supposed. He remembered how her nose wrinkled up and she poured the coffee out when Stefan had left to go hunting. He'd been there, watching her from the doorway.

He made his way up the stairs to his room, holding the blood bags in one hand and the mugs in the other.

Elena could smell freshly brewed coffee as she opened her eyes and blinked; she stretched out fully, and found Damon's side of the bed empty. Hence the smell of coffee, a memory slowly came into her thoughts of when Stefan had brewed her coffee; he'd done that a lot when she stayed over. She pushed herself to a seated position as she ran a hand threw her hair to tame it down a little. She smiled when Damon came through the door.

"Good morning…sleeping beauty's awake." He said as he kicked his door closed.

"Yup." She grinned as he held out the coffee to her. Her eyes drifted to the bags of blood in his other hand and her mouth watered. But coffee first, she was testing herself. She held the steaming mug to her lips and sniffed and fresh tears came to her eyes. "You remembered." She whispered as a tear trailed down her cheek.

"Yup." He wiped the tear away as Elena's mind went to an earlier memory.

* * *

"_Such a waste." He commented, and she jumped clutching a hand to her throat and then narrowing her eyes at him._

"_What do you want Damon?" She asked turning back to the coffee pot and pouring more coffee in her mug, adding cream with angry motions. He'd come to stand by her observing her actions, always observing. Damon had leaned against the counter, so close that their elbows were almost brushing. She turned to look at him as he spoke, why did he have to be so… she swallowed that thought._

"_Saintly Stefan can't even brew you a cup of coffee." He tsked and she rolled her eyes._

"_He can." She tried to defend Stefan… "He just put sugar in it…yuck." She scowled and he shook his head as he poured himself a mug of it. He took it black. She rolled her eyes at him. _

"_How can you drink it black?" She wondered out loud, not really expecting that he'd give her a straight answer. He didn't._

"_How can you drink it with that shit in there" He replied ignoring her question._

"_Have you even tried it?" She asked grumpily. Someone sure was grumpy if she didn't get her morning coffee, Damon smirked._

"_Yes Elena. I've tried it, I don't like it. I'd much rather have it naked, natural and hot." He grinned devilishly at her as his eyes smoldered. Elena froze, he was so close. She could feel his breath against her face. Stefan had warned her that he was dangerous, but the only danger that radiated off him was how kissable his lips were as she stared at them. Elena get a grip she told herself. Damon leaned in closer, and she squirmed._

"_Damon…"She drew in an unsteady breath as she back peddled, her back hitting the counter._

"_Elena…" He stretched out her name and quicker than she could take a breath, he tucked a hair behind her ear leaving her breathless and staring into an empty kitchen. _

"_Damon?" She called out tentatively._

_He stepped back into the kitchen with a smirk on his face. "Yes?" He sauntered over to her._

"_Stop it with that eye thing you do." She snapped knowing he wouldn't and she was just wasting her breath. _

_He just laughed. "I don't have an eye thing." He told her and walked closer._

"_Yes you do." She trembled as he moved in closer and she realized too late that it wasn't from fear. She didn't know what it was, but she knew instantly that her face betrayed her as Damon smirked and his eyes seemed to get even bluer. _

"_Damon…" He smirked._

_He leaned in as her back hit the counter and he placed both hands on either side of her hips. His thumbs were lightly brushing the exposed skin that was by her waist as he whispered into her ear. "Stefan's home…you kids have fun now." She shivered as his lips caressed her earlobe, and then he was gone. Elena was stuck with a racing heart, flushed cheeks, and a whole lot of alone. His scent lingered around her taking her breath away, and she quickly turned around to splash water across her face as the brooding Stefan arrived._

* * *

"Listen to that heart fly…" Damon chuckled, as she drew in a startled breath. "Yes I remember." He told her brushing his lips against her cheek, brushing away any lingering tears.

She pulled in a huge breath to calm herself. "Why is my heart racing? I'm a vampire, I can't hear yours." She commented.

"Our hearts beat much slower than a human heart, but they still beat." As Damon explained, Elena leaned close to him, her hair falling across his chest, as she leaned in and listened. "What are you doing?" Damon asked as she placed her ear over his heart when she could have heard it sitting where she was.

"Shh…I'm listening." Damon held his breath, as her breath caressed his chest. He could tell when she heard it because she grinned and then kissed his chest over his heart. "I can hear it." She exclaimed excitedly and she sprang up so fast it startled them both. Damon chuckled and she bit her lip staring at him.

"Can you now?" He smirked, "You can hear it from there if you really listen." He replied.

She closed her eyes and tried to listen, "My ears are broken, and I can't." She heard Damon snort as he pulled her onto his lap.

"You're ears aren't broke." He breathed into her ear, and she shivered. "You just need to concentrate." He murmured as he massaged her neck and shoulders. He planted a trail of hot kisses from the soft spot behind her ear and down to the tip of her shoulder. Her breath was ragged, _yeah like she could concentrate. _She spun in his lap so she was straddling his hips and startled him once again as he froze in his adventure to unravel her.

"Sure, as if I can_ concentrate_ in your arms." She said once he recovered. He kissed her neck at the soft part over her vein that was throbbing in her neck. "Damon, how do I concentrate?" He looked up at her, his eyes unreadable despite what she was feeling. But she knew he was feeling as he softly caressed her cheek.

"Close your eyes." He whispered as his hands found purchase on her neck and his thumbs trailing dizzyingly on her collar bone. But she sucked in a breath, and closed her eyes against her better judgment. "Now, just listen. You can hear everything, if you just listen, open your ears to the world." She jumped in his embrace. And he chuckled.

"What's that?" She opened her eyes, and he narrowed his.

"A spider I suppose." He smirked; he didn't have to concentrate anymore on the sounds around him unless he was in danger, or he wanted to. He froze at the fact that he'd turned a few vampires, but he'd never really helped them. He wasn't helping Abby at all, he'd helped Caroline sure, but if it was his blood that sired Elena, and he sure hoped it was, he was going to help her. He had memorized the beat of her heart when she was a human, so he memorized it again as a vampire.

"Spiders" Her voice trembled and she clung to him.

Damon laughed as he heard her heart race, but he continued to hold her close… "An Original had you in his clutches, and you didn't even break a sweat, but you hear a little spider and your heart flies and you cling to me." Damon shook his head, and Elena smacked his chest.

"Ow." He said rubbing his chest. "That didn't used to hurt before." Elena rolled her eyes.

"When I was 8, I fell into the Lockwood well."

"And what were you doing in that well?" Damon teased.

"Being a kid." She smirked. "When we were pulling Stefan out of the well…" She shuddered again stopping there.

"I know Elena…" He caressed her cheek when she stopped and stared at him.

"… I was covered in spiders when I was 8." She shuttered. Damon searched her eyes and face. "So they've always freaked me out, so stop teasing." She pouted, and he leaned in and kissed her.

"I'm sorry." He lingered against her lips and leaned back.

"I know I asked you this before, but did you ever fear something?" He nodded, since they've already talked about it.

"Of course. Fear affects all of us. As a human I feared death, and funnily enough the dark terrified me." He whispered and at her surprised look he explained. "My mother died when I was 8, and it was dark. So I thought, that whenever it was dark…" He trailed off and she cupped his cheek.

"Why would it be funny?" She whispered and he shrugged.

"I presume because now it doesn't scare me, and I'm a creature of the night." Damon grew distant and Elena was sure thinking about his mother.

"What's it like when everyone d-dies around you." She whispered and tears filled her eyes. She battled them as he watched, and finally hid her face in the crook of his neck.

"Not as hard as it was when my mother died…" He trailed off, lost in memories. "I still feel her like it was yesterday. After I was a vampire, the only family I had was aunts, uncles, and cousins. We were close, but I suppose it was harder on them knowing that Stefan and I died so young. Isabella was the hardest, I suppose she was my age, but she was like a sister…" He shook his head. "I went to her funeral, hid in the shadows." He shrugged.

Elena was watching him intently. As he watched back, he'd never shared anything like that with anyone. "Will you help me through it?" She whimpered, and he cupped her face in his hands.

"Yes." He promised. Leaning over, and handing her the blood bag, tears coming to her eyes as she noticed it was his favorite. She dug into it, the emotions forgotten on her part, but not his.

"I got you something." He said once he finished his blood bag.

"Something?" She asked as she finished her blood bag. She set it aside and searched his face. Damon looked nervous. He pulled out a little black box and she gasped.

He rolled his eyes "Not that something." He set the box on her thigh and she looked up at him, questioning him with her eyes. Hesitantly, she reached out and took the small velvety box. She opened it with shaking fingers, and inside was a beautiful ring. The blue stones shaped a heart with what she thought were diamonds around them. She felt her eyes fill with tears as she stared at the ring in the box. A lump formed in her throat.

Her voice came out breathless, but she knew he still heard her "Damon…" She looked up, and tears spilt down her cheeks.

"I had Bonnie spell it, it's a daylight ring. I know I said you could choose…but I saw it, and I thought you'd love it… so I bought it." He said it awkwardly. She threw her arms around him and stifled a sob.

"It's beautiful Damon, when did you have time to get it? And get it spelled?" She asked.

"It's not important." He replied. She looked at him as she slid it on her finger waiting. "When I…gave you my blood before the sacrifice." He looked away from her and she blinked back more tears as they fell. "I –" She took his face in her hands forcing him to look at her.

"It's beautiful Damon, thank you." She wondered when Bonnie spelled it. "Did Bonnie spell it then?" She whispered and looked up.

He shook his head. "No, the morning before I went to meet with Elijah she spelled it."

"It's beautiful." She whispered.

"Not as beautiful as you." He smirked, and she just shook her head. "So you like it?" He asked uncomfortably and Elena was touched by how he asked that. It surprised her that he was uncomfortable, but then again he always was when he was vulnerable.

"No… I love it." As she leaned in and kissed him. "I love you Damon."

* * *

This chapter tried to break down further...and it was impossible... I wanted to give you plot as well ase what was was coming... hope you lilked... PLEASE let me know again this is a first for me... :)


	9. Chapter 9 - On Borrowed Time

**Summary:** "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He compelled her to forget their first meeting, and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything?Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. How will that impact S/E and how will that help D/E. Delena story.

**Pairing:** Damon and Elena

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or its characters.

* * *

_A/N - I'm back, and I'm very sorry for my absence in writing this story. Been through alot of bad weather, and winter storms as of late, losing power, having to replace my computer and the works. But somehow I found parts of this story left on my computer. I'm glad I have backups of my backups...lol Hope you are enjoying the season so far... It's been good so far. Anyway, if anyone is still reading here is chapter 9. Thanks for all the wonderful feedback, and hopefully you'll here from me soon again :)_

_Love, _

_Blue_

**Chapter 9 – On borrowed time**

_*Flashback* _

_"If you let me die...everyone dies, your mother, Caroline, Damon, Stefan, Tyler...everyone." Klaus growled fiercely. Bonnie had been working on her spells and did her homework Klaus had given her a way. But could she rightly use it? She was sticking her nose into dark magic, once she did this there was no coming back. _

_An earlier memory of a year ago popped into her mind as she considered one that seemed to be a lifetime ago, and she couldn't remember it clearly._

_"Unlike me you're one of the good ones Bonnie, the middle of it is exactly where you need to be." her cousin had told her. She didn't know exactly what her cousin had meant by that not then._

_But she did now, and she didn't need Klaus to tell her that she'd already stuck her nose into dark magic as she already had when she'd brought Jeremy back from the dead. Bonnie looked down at Klaus's deadly eyes...they had the upper hand here, he could die; they could be forever done with the psychopath. _

_FOREVER done with him_

_She knew she couldn't trust him. She couldn't lose everybody and everything. She didn't care either way if all vampires died, they were all abominations including her mother, and Caroline...But she couldn't just stand there and let them die. But what choice did she have?_

_Bonnie considered this moment and how Damon would likely kill her if he knew what she were about to do, scratch that, Damon wasn't scary at all compared to Stefan these days she shuddered internally. _

_"You're stalling witch" Bonnie rolled her eyes._

_"You bastard, you've taken everything from us...and you want me to save you...you how can I trust you not to go back on your word?" But Bonnie didn't give him a chance to reason with her, as she held her hands over his chest and began to chant... Klaus howled in agony, and tears ran down his temples._

_"You...bitch" Klaus panted as the pain stopped. _

_"Words...your mother was right you're an abomination, you shouldn't exist...you've lived a thousand years too many!" she shouted as she began chanting again, Klaus screamed as pain shot threw him and he couldn't move...he cried openly, begging her to just stop. But rage was her fuel, her pain for all she lost was taken out on the hybrid...she took him within an inch of his horrible existence._

_"Are you the creator of the bloodline?" She screamed Klaus was beside himself in agony, deep shudders raging through his body. She didn't think he could lie in this moment._

_He hissed through his teeth "I… don't… know" She believed him._

_"Who knows?" She asked him_

_"Elijah...Tatia..." He must have started to hallucinate from the pain, as he was making no sense. _

_She began her spell again she didn't have much time they'd be suspicious of her now. She held her hands above Klaus's chest once again and continued in her chanting... she needed his essence to preserve his body, and protect it from what would surely happen when Alaric staked him. She took what was needed, and finished the spell. Klaus glared at her with hatred in his eyes, but he could do nothing as she finished the spell. He knew she could easily end him in any given moment. But he also knew she wouldn't not at the risk of not knowing if he was the sire of their bloodline. _

_Bonnie looked on in horrified satisfaction that she just might have saved everyone. She was horrified yes, but if she can do a spell like this, maybe there was a spell that could still kill Klaus without killing his bloodline._

_She opened the door silently and stepped out. As expected Damon stood to greet her._

_He studied her with his blue eyes and for a moment she saw kindness or she was imagining it. "Are you ok?" he surprised her with that. She had just expected him to be concise and to the point. It was harder to lie to this kinder side of Damon. _

_She swallowed and nodded "I'm fine". Her voice shook from fatigue and emotion. _

_"In a little while it will all be over, and perhaps all of us will be destroyed...in any case thank you Bonnie." Damon said fervently, Bonnie blinked back the moisture gathering in her eyes. She nodded, and moved away from him. _

_*end flashback*_

* * *

Bonnie shook with the memory she had betrayed all of them, by preserving Klaus's essence. She still had to find his charred body, but first she had to complete the spell. Her hands trembled as she held them against Tyler's chest.

She began her spell chanting words of a language she never learned but somehow just knew.

Klaus hadn't died, and neither had Tyler. Bonnie closed her eyes and held back a sob. Tyler was still alive; much like Alaric had been when Klaus took over his body. She also knew that Klaus in this state was vulnerable. She shook as she completed the spell she still held the key to it all. He'd be out for another couple hours. She spelled the room, making it so he couldn't hear outside the door or anyone for that matter could find him. Nor was he invited into her home, so the spell somehow protected Tyler, but not Klaus.

Bonnie walked to the door, and stepped out in the hallway freezing when she heard a knock on the front door. She closed the door to the room where Tyler's body lay, and stepped out into the foyer. She glared at the front door.

She steeled herself as she opened the front door. "Stefan." Bonnie greeted, but didn't grant him entrance to her house. It was newly signed into her name, so he no longer had been invited in. He crossed his arms and raised a brow.

"Bonnie Bennett…"His lips tipped up in a wolfish grin, one that she'd come to expect on Damon, not Stefan. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" He then leaned forward, and they would have touched if he had entrance. "I brought you this" He held up an old ancient looking brown book, and she prayed that he'd just hand it over without trying to get in. But, she could take even this Stefan down she was certain of it, even if she was exhausted from the previous spell. He tossed the book inside, causing her to jump in surprise. "I want you to find a spell to reverse vampirism." He stepped closer, and she took an impulsive step back.

"To reverse…what?" She swallowed, trying to compose herself.

He rolled his eyes, and leaned his hands against the doorframe as if testing his ability to enter. "To change a vampire back to human…if there is a way I want you to find it Bonnie Bennett." He leaned back, and Bonnie just stared at him.

"There isn't…" She glared at him.

"Find one." And then he was gone.

Bonnie stumbled back into her home, and pulled her phone quickly out of her pocket as she stepped closer to the book that way lying closed on her hardwood floor. She pushed it open with her foot, afraid to touch it. When she saw what it was, she pulled out her phone and texted Damon.

_**Stefan was here**_

There was a buzzing sound in her hand and she looked down.

**Be right there**

Bonnie found it interesting that months ago she wouldn't find herself in this type of situation. She'd never been loyal to either of the brothers, and she feared Damon, but over the past few months…she's seen the way he'd been with Elena, and although she still feared him she'd come to respect him, if not even trust him she knew he'd do anything to protect Elena whether she was human or vampire. She jumped when there was another knock on the front door. He unlike Stefan had been invited in, but he did wait for her to step aside so he could enter. She still wasn't used to him being invited in. She calmed herself. She looked up into Damon's intense cerulean blue eyes.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, his eyes were searching the room although he only stood next to her. Bonnie took a deep breath trying to calm down.

"He brought me this, wanting me to find a reversal spell." She swallowed.

Damon stopped his search, she hadn't even realized he'd moved away from her "A reversal spell?" Damon frowned coming to stand in front of her.

"To change a vampire back into a human." She watched him carefully to see if he'd already known this, but surprise was evident in his features.

Damon blinked a few times, and then took the grimore from her hands, and opened it. "This is dark magic." He looked up at her his eyes were narrow. Bonnie looked on in surprise that Damon even knew what Dark magic was, or how he'd come to figure that out. But it was Damon there was a lot of things about him that surprised her these days.

Bonnie crossed her arms and moved deeper into the room. "I know…I think it's one of the Martin's grimores." She sighed and moved away from Damon to sit on the sofa. "I've never heard of turning a vampire back into a human…and even if it can be done after they've made the transition." She looked up at him with tears standing out in her eyes.

Damon turned the book around, his finger pointing to a page that was faded and burnt. It was in an unfamiliar language to him, but he'd been able to pick up a few words. Bonnie looked back up at him. "I…can't read it." She rubbed her eyes.

"It's ancient…witchy...juju." He shrugged, and set the grimore on the coffee table, sitting in the chair opposite her.

"Can you read it?" She asked.

Damon was staring at the rug, he clasped his hands together and leaned forward, elbows to knees, and his chin in his hand as he tried to decipher the words. "…A few words… but I know someone who can." He looked up at her, his eyes grave.

"Elijah?" Bonnie asked, and he nodded.

"Yes." He rubbed his face with his hands.

"Do you know where to find him?" Damon shrugged, and stood crossing over to the window to look out.

"Where is he?" Bonnie stepped closer.

"He said if we needed him, he'd be here" Damon smirked, at Bonnie's raised brow he continued. "I saw him on the wickery bridge."

"Oh." Damon turned from the window. "But how would he be able to read the spell?"

"He's old." Damon shrugged.

"He's old? Damon…" Bonnie shook her head.

"Bonnie, I don't know." Damon suddenly was in front of her staring down at her. "There's so much we don't know…but I don't trust Stefan."

"Usually I'd be having this conversation with Stefan, and not trusting you." Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

Damon didn't comment, just moved further into the room, frowning down at some papers on her desk. She'd been brainstorming and she knew what was written there. Damon picked up the paper, and turned to face her.

"Tatia, Elijah spoke of her…"

"It came to me in a dream… I was in some caves alone, a sword in hand. A woman was there she said her name was Tatia." Damon raised an eyebrow.

"And your dreams are premonitions I know…" Damon held up his hands and took a step back. "…they somehow preserved the Original witch it wouldn't be surprising if Tatia suffered some…similar demise." Damon raised an eyebrow as if to ask her to argue that fact.

Bonnie frowned at him "So what's your theory?" Damon shrugged. He wasn't sharing that much information.

"It's not _my _theory… my saintly brother is up to something." Bonnie nodded, and continued to stare at him.

"Don't give me your judgey little eyes Bonnie; I haven't seen Stefan since the day after Elena transitioned." He frowned, and began to pace, he could really use some alcohol right about now.

Bonnie froze as he got closer and closer to the other room.

"I'm not judging you." She told him crossing her arms, and he stopped to look at her.

"Have I entered a world where Bonnie doesn't judge me" Damon said in mock surprise and rolled his eyes. He continued towards the room, and stopped beside the door. His hand rested against the door. "What are you hiding?" He spun on his heel and turned to face her. Then flashed so he was a half an inch from her face she didn't have time to react. "What are you hiding in that room?"

She stumbled back a step he was too close, and she was too weak to migraine him "Nothing. It's nothing Damon" She backed away from him.

But he was fast, and she bumped into him. "You're_ lying_." He spat.

She looked at him evenly, surprised that he hadn't done anything to hurt her yet. _Yet_ being the key there she made an instant decision to trust him right then and there. She took him into the bathroom, and although he removed his arm from her grip he didn't try to hurt her. She turned the water on and the fan on…not that it was necessary. She had spelled the room, and Tyler wouldn't be waking for hours anyway.

"Klaus threatened that if he died, everyone would die I couldn't let that happen." Damon flew forward, backing her into the sink.

"What did you do?" He pressed, his body shaking with his anger. But he hadn't harmed her yet.

"I…removed Klaus from his own body before he burned, and he's inside of Tyler." Damon's eyes went wide, and he stumbled back a step, staring at her in horror.

"Do you realize what you have done? He will hunt her until every one of her loved ones are dead… Bonnie do you realize that?!" He hissed vehemently.

* * *

Elena leaned back gazing up at the sun that she hadn't seen in a few days. She wiggled her fingers and looked up at the beautiful heart shaped ring that Damon had given her. It was beautiful she hadn't expected anything like that. Had he really been the only one that was thinking? She knew that it was inevitable that she would have someday become a vampire. She had chosen to run with the supernatural. Her luck had run out the day that her parents had driven over the bridge. That's when she had died. No matter how hard she tried to blame Stefan or even Damon she couldn't blame them for her death. She shuddered as she thought of that.

"I figured this is where I would have found you." Caroline said coming to sit down next to her on the grass. She stared ahead of herself at her parents graves.

Elena smiled at her friend and then touched her mother's tombstone. "I just wonder what they would think now…that my human life is over." She wiped at her eyes, and shook her head suddenly.

"I'm sure that they'd be proud of you." Caroline said quietly.

"Do you? Caroline, they had weapons that could kill vampires in the cabin…they wouldn't be proud of me, they would want to stake me." She leaned forward and rested her head on her knees. "I'd be a monster to them"

"Elena you're not a monster…even my own father regretted that when he died." Caroline said quietly, tears filling her eyes. "He said he was proud of who I'd become, and that he loved me." Elena leaned her head against Caroline's shoulder and sighed.

"But I'm not you Care, what if I screw up?" She whispered.

Caroline pulled her close, and kissed her cheek. "You aren't going to screw up, Damon and I will make sure of that." She whispered.

They both looked up when an unnatural breeze hit them.

Elena jumped to her feet as soon as she saw the look in his eyes. She'd seen Damon look a lot of things, but she'd never seen him like this. "What –"She started to say, but he interrupted them.

"We've got a problem…" He glanced at Caroline. "I need you to go to Ric's loft, and meet up with Meredith, we'll be there soon." She nodded, and without a question was gone. Elena waited for him to say something but he seemed to be waiting for something as she watched his face. He watched her carefully. "Come here…" He whispered.

"Damon…wait, where are you taking me." She pulled him to a stop when they gone the opposite direction of Ric's loft, and the boarding house. "You're scaring me, what's going on?" He released her hand, and stepped in front of her. Damon's eyes we're wild. She took his hands into hers. "What is it?" She whispered.

"We've…" He shook his head, and ran a hand through his raven black hair. A faraway look came to his eyes. "Bonnie screwed up…Klaus is alive." He hissed. Elena's free hand went to her mouth, as she stared back at Damon.

"How?" She reached for him, and he winced at her grip. That she'd have to get used to.

"I watched him burn, Elena…" He stepped away from her, and turned his back to her, staring out at the horizon. "I thought this was all over…that…" He swallowed and turned back when he felt her hands on his shoulders to turn him. "He's in Tyler's body."

"He…what?" She stared at him bewildered, "Caroline said she watched Tyler die…" She whispered, her hands resting against his chest. Damon took her hands into his "He's going to kill everyone…Damon…he's going to…" She felt herself start to panic, "He's going to kill everybody like he did Katherine's family…Damon…" She was crying now.

Damon crushed her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her, his hands finding purchase in her long dark locks. He took a deep breath, breathing in her scent and kissing the top of her head. "Shhh…I won't let that happen, I will not let that happen to anyone…" She felt him kiss the top of her head, and held him tightly to her.

"No…Damon…He'll kill you…" She pushed him away, but he shook his head.

"He's vulnerable now…in Tyler's body…Bonnie thinks." Damon murmured, and rubbed her arms with his hands.

"But you'll kill Tyler…" His eyes drifted closed, and he shook his head.

Elena's hands went to his chest…"Does she even realize what she's done?" He could tell when her breathing picked up and she started to change. Damon's eyes opened, as he looked down into her veined eyes, his hands came back up to her face and he brushed his thumbs under her eyes, watching as she calmed back down.

He brushed a lock of hair that had blown into her face behind her ear, and leaned in close to her. His voice like a soft caress Elena looked into his beautiful blue eyes and could see the depth of his emotion there "I won't let anyone hurt you." He whispered.

Elena squeezed his hand, "…and if you're not going to let anyone hurt me…we need to go back to Ric's loft right?" He closed his eyes and nodded. He really wanted to get her away from all the danger, but if he did…she'd just run headlong into it.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, please leave me a review :)**


	10. Chapter 10 - On Borrowed Time part 2

Hi Everyone! I am so, so sorry that this has taken me so long to get it up here. I've been working full time, and going to school full time, and had to take away the internet for a little while, so have had little time to write. But I'm back, got injured, and I have a little time to write…so yay! LOL, just not an easy way to go about it…lol But, I needed the break…:) So it's been awhile, and hopefully some of you are still reading, I will try to update more regularly. Hope you are all enjoying the season, intense so far. Love that we've had some DE! In my story, I don't plan on having the sire bond, Elena will have a pull towards Damon, but it's not going to be a sire bond, unless that's what reader's want? I following the season 4, but not the same… please leave me a review if you'd like me to continue, and thanks so much for those of you who have hung in there, waiting all this while for an update. I'm hoping to be adding another chapter by Friday just since it's been so long. Then I'll get back on a regular update schedule…

Thanks so much for the support to this story, review's mean a lot…let me know what you all think!

Love,

Blue

* * *

**Chapter 10 – On Borrowed Time part 2**

_Previously..._

_Elena squeezed Damon's hand, "…and if you're not going to let anyone hurt me…we need to go back to Ric's loft right?" He closed his eyes and nodded. He really wanted to get her away from all the danger, but if he did…she'd just run headlong right back into it._

Damon groaned, rolling his eyes, and squeezed Elena's hand back.

"Damon…" she held her own a moment longer. Damon was still visibly tense.

He narrowed his eyes looking over her shoulder for a moment, and pulled her forward till her chest hit his. Damon searched her eyes a moment.

As Damon searched her eyes, she could see the storm of emotions that were rushing through. Anger, sadness, stress, fear, lust, passion and love. "Let's go." Walking out of the cemetery Damon gave Elena's hand a gentle, but firm squeeze.

They walked slowly enjoying the walk, a moment of peace or so they thought when there was a loud noise that exploded from somewhere behind them, and Damon whipped around, pulling Elena behind him in alarm. Elena stumbled, and reached out her hand placing it on his shoulder to steady herself.

Damon suddenly spun so fast around, that even being a vampire, she didn't see him spin. "_Run_….run as fast as you can at a _human pace. _I'll be right behind you." Damon said his eyes growing wide as saucers as Elena's features morphed into fear.

"…But Dam –"One hand made its way around her waist, the other sliding over her back. He shoved her forward.

"…NOW!" Elena stumbled forward as she saw Damon's face morph into rage; she took off concentrating on making her movements slow. She didn't want to leave him there, whatever was happening, it could kill him. It took everything in her not to stop, turn around and fight with him. But she'd be a hinder to him. So she ran hearing the fight behind her. Tears fell down her cheeks as she made it over the hill to the street. She slowed down further when she approached Damon's car.

Damon whirled around feeling the bullet rip into his flesh and cause searing pain. _Wooden bullets_, they knew how to take him down. _Of course they did_. He prayed that Elena made it to safety. But they didn't know that she was a vampire. Or so he prayed, he'd never been a praying man, and even less when he turned. But he prayed to whatever deity would hear him now.

He grew more panicked thinking of her laying somewhere in agony. He had built up his tolerance for pain…the wooden bullets felt like nothing as they burnt in his skin. He darted left, right, again to the left… he was surrounded. He was going to die and there was no way that he could protect her. He felt searing pain as fire burned against his flesh he wasn't on fire it was vervain. They laced the bullets. He fought with everything he had; he would not go down without a fight. He could feel it fighting against his limbs, but he'd been through worse pain with the werewolf bite, and he'd be in worse pain if he lost Elena like this.

He ducked behind a tree, and quickly pulled out the wooden bullets, they burned against his fingers as he dropped them to the ground. He moved quickly to his left, and darted behind another tree, as the tree he was positioned behind went up in flames. It singed the hair on his arms as he moved away. His eyes watered from the smoke, and the pain. He pulled the last wooden bullet out, it was saturated in vervain. His fingers burned, and his mind raced. He reached up and pulled down a sturdy branch.

He'd been against more odds before. He could do this. He thought staring down at the branch in his hands. He'd given Elena a fighting chance. Tears threatened his eyes, but he clenched his jaw and stood.

"You'll HAVE TO KILL ME!" He shouted hoarsely.

* * *

Two hours later…

Pacing impatiently in Ric's old Loft, Caroline held her cell phone to her ear and growled. "Pick up, dammit!"

She'd originally called to see how Elena and Damon had been coming. They said they'd be right behind her. How stupid was she, that she just left Damon with her and he had been obviously distressed. She'd never seen him like that. She growled at the phone and flipped it shut. Her phone rang as soon as she did and she stared down at the caller ID.

_Her Mother._

She'd been so adamant about her and Tyler… Caroline clutched her chest. Tyler was gone. She shook herself. Stop that she told herself and hit the ignore button. She didn't need to hear her mother tell her Mayor Lockwood's fears about them leaving town. As the Council knew all about them,… Well they knew about Caroline and Tyler. She wasn't sure about Elena, they probably knew about Damon. Evil Alaric would have been sure to rat out the Salvatore's.

Worried over her newly vamped friend, she redialed Elena's number. Hanging up as it went to voicemail again.

"UGH!" She quickly punched in the keys to Jeremy's phone.

He answered after the third ring, sounding for all the world as she had woke him up. "Hey, what's up?"

"Do you know where Elena is, Jeremy?" Caroline demanded immediately. "Elena's not picking up her phone; do you know where she is?"

"Uh… at Ric's Loft, we're heading over there no –"Caroline didn't have the patience to listen.

"When was the last time you checked on her?" She demanded.

"I don't know," Jeremy replied casually. Caroline rolled her eyes, seeing his shrug of nonchalance in her mind's eye. "Maybe an hour and a half ago? I'm not sure."

"She's with _Damon_. Maybe she's still with him, but both of their phones are off! They both go straight to voicemail. I don't –"

"Calm down Car –"Jeremy started.

Caroline interrupted "Don't tell me to calm down Jeremy! She's with Damon!" Caroline's voice shot up an octave and she didn't even recognize her own voice.

"I'll call Bonnie. See if she can do a locator spell on them or something."

"Good idea," Caroline agreed with a quick nod of her head. "I'll be over there soon." Putting her phone into her pocket, she blurred down the stairs and over to the Gilbert home.

"Hmmm…seems to me someone's in a hurry" A voice said behind her, and then all there was blackness.

* * *

Elena kept running until she heard more explosions behind her. She knew that Damon told her to run, and keep going, and yes the pull was there to listen to him. But she couldn't, there was a stronger pull and that she couldn't lose him. They'd kill him, she knew it. She stopped, and spun back around running back toward the cemetery, but in her haste to return, she heard a loud popping sound, and then she just felt a searing pain.

Elena groaned as she woke back up, she blanked a few times, but she still couldn't see anything. It was so dark, and she hurt everywhere.

She panicked when she didn't see Damon anywhere. "Damon?" Her voice broke all raspy sounding. She felt around her, but she felt nothing and it was hard to move her limbs. She looked around herself again. But it was too dark even for her vampire vision to pick up any sort of object around her.

Damon wouldn't have just left her. She told herself. She closed her eyes trying to just calm herself enough to listen to everything around her. She could hear nothing.

Ok, this was getting creepy she decided. She tried to sit up again, but noticed with horror she didn't have the strength. She wanted to cry out but stopped herself. What if she wasn't all alone, what if Damon had hid them? But that wouldn't explain her not being able to move and him not there. Wherever she was she wasn't with Damon and her captors weren't far from her.

She heard movement in the shadows and froze.

* * *

Damon pushed himself up from the rocky ground pulling the wooden stake from his chest and throwing it at a boulder watching it shatter he looked around himself quickly, and rose unsteadily to his feet. A pain shot through his chest that nearly knocked him back to his previous position, and he felt as if he'd vomit from it.

He felt something slam into his shoulder, and he stumbled back a few steps his back colliding with a tree. The tree shattered, and he fell to his knees, as he reached for a branch. He swung it, and knocked one of them into another tree, giving him somewhat of an advantage to regain a moment of strength. The vampire came at him again, and Damon rammed the tree branch into his chest. He watched as the vampire turned grey and rigid before him.

"You're gonna die for that!" One of the other vampires snarled at him. Damon spun, and rammed the vampire into the tree.

He lifted him by the neck, and crushed his windpipe. "Who the hell are you working for, and where the hell did you take her!" He slammed the vampire's head against the tree.

The vampire spit in his face, and Damon felt his face burn. But instead of losing his grip, as he was sure the other vampire had intended Damon tightened his grip, and felt the younger vampire's neck snap. With rage, he tore his head, off and slumped against the tree, letting his face heal. The bitch of it was that he couldn't see well. But he could hear, and he moved just as the branch hit the tree.

Damon sped away quickly, picking up another branch in his haste. "You got to be smarter than that you fool. We have you surrounded, and you're pretty little girlfriend is lunch." One of them snarled at him.

Damon knew that Elena was smarter than they took her for, but if she was pumped full of vervain, she wouldn't be handling it like he was.

Damon fought his way through two more, he was covered in blood, his head was pounding, and his arms and legs were burning with the fire of vervain, but they hadn't stopped him from fighting yet. He'd snapped their necks and ripped out their hearts. They weren't going anywhere not anymore.

Damon grimaced as he rolled the last of them off him. He didn't know how much vervain they'd pumped into him. It was enough to down any vampire for awhile, but he'd built up. He struggled to his feet and listened. He'd prayed that they had been lying to him when they said that they had Elena, and that she had listened and went back to Ric's loft. But he knew she hadn't. He could almost see where they'd dragged Elena off, not knowing she was a vampire, but he was sure they still shot her up with vervain after they'd ambushed them. He hoped that was all they did.

He concentrated on what senses he had. He was severely weakened by vervain to the point of just his human senses would have to work. But he'd been around for a long time; he'd ambushed many he knew how they thought. There'd be one or two more left to fight.

He tracked them.

He would have laughed at the set up, if he wasn't so afraid for Elena. He looked around himself for a weapon, coming up with a heavy branch. He hefted it, his strength was returning slowly. He made some noise then hid in the tree, jumping up to the branch that was above him. Only one came looking, but that was ok, he didn't want to fight them both. He landed with little effort behind the man. The man spun when Damon tapped his shoulder the boy's eyes widened, and he reached for his gun, Damon knocked him out. Leaving human's to do a vampire for hire's dirty work. _Typical._

"Randy!" He heard the other one call out. Damon had heard him coming, as he backed away hiding in the shadows. "What the hell!" The man tripped over his friends' unconscious body, falling to his hands and knees. Damon jumped from his hiding place and landed quietly a few feet behind him.

"Randy, come on" his friend was shaking his shoulder. "We've got the girl; you said we had to get her away from the guy." He continued to shake his friends shoulder totally oblivious to what happened.

"He won't be waking up for a while." Damon cocked his head to the side and smirked when the man or rather boy turned to face him. Before he could as much as reach for his gun, Damon swung his branch. Knocking him out. "Human." Damon dragged both of the boy's into the brush finding some rope; he tied them up, and stuffed gags into their mouths. They were seriously mistaken if they thought that these ropes would have held a vampire even if the ropes were soaked with vervain.

Damon brushed his hands off on his jeans, and searched around him, he could hear nothing and it honestly scared him to death. He found a cave a few yards away from the human's camp, and entered the cave cautiously, staying in the shadows. His vampire senses were returning now, he'd taken out all the vampires, and the two humans. There was a torch lit on the wall, and he reached for it quickly, and then he closed his eyes and listened. He found her heartbeat almost immediately; it was thrumming fast with the effects of the vervain. Although a vampire's heartbeat was usually undetectable to the human ear, it was detectable to his ears, but again, his blood was used to turn Elena.

He followed the sound towards the back of the cave. She was curled up tightly into a ball when he saw her.

* * *

"Damon?" He heard her rasp out. He could hear no other guards so he ran to her voice. She saw him as soon as he entered the cavern room. She'd been tied, her wrists were raw. She tried to go to him but couldn't.

"Damon…" She panicked when she couldn't go to him.

"Shhh, I'm right here." Her eyes were wide, he was sure he looked a mess. "It's not all my blood, I'm fine. They're dead." He wrapped his arms around her when she fell into him. "We have to get out of here, can you walk?"

She wasn't listening to him she was feeling his chest for holes, or wounds. "My legs are numb." She replied shakily. "No I can't walk." She stopped her search for holes in his chest.

"It's the vervain." He told her, brushing back her hair. "It'll start to wear off soon, let's get you out of here." He pulled her up into his arms he could feel her weight which meant he was still regaining his strength.

"How come you can move?" She asked laying her head against his chest.

"I'm older, and I'm still ingesting it." He whispered.

"How?" She stared at him, she thought it was all gone…but then she gasped "God it hurts." She whimpered.

"Never mind that now, let's get out of here, blood heals." He started to sprint out of there, but grew winded fast.

"Damon_ stop_" He looked at her like she'd grown two heads.

"Not yet." He gasped for air. They made it back to his car they hadn't found that he relaxed as he set Elena down collapsing against the hood. They still had to get out of there he just had to catch his breath.

"Why can't I stand yet?" Elena asked. Damon smiled as he pushed himself up to a standing position. She was eying him worriedly.

"First time getting shot with vervain sucks." He told her moving to his trunk he grabbed four blood bags. He limped back to her sagging against the hood.

Handing her the blood bag after opening it first. "It takes longer to get out of your system, the blood will help." Damon explained as he finished his. "Fresh blood would help out more…" Elena looked at him. "Just saying." He shrugged, and threw the blood bag on the ground carelessly.

He felt his strength continue to return. He helped Elena to her feet; she could stand now and walked under her own power to the passenger side of the car.

"Who were they?" Elena asked as she laid her head against her seat. "They didn't know that I was a vampire, and I didn't let on that I was. But, they injected me with vervain…why?" She was rubbing her arms. "Why am I cold?"

Damon adjusted his rearview mirror, and reached behind him handing her another blood bag, he turned the heat on in the car and sped off on the dirt road out of the cemetery. "I don't know who they were. One of them said that they had to get her away from him… but I didn't wait around long enough for them to explain that, drink" he urged her to drink more blood.

"You just left them there?" Elena asked sipping on the blood bag.

"No...I'll take care of it."

"…Damon" He didn't answer her as he turned down a narrow dirt road. "Where are we going?"

"The old Salvatore land that's where we were I can't leave the two of them out there." He told her cutting the engine. Elena grabbed his arm when he started to get out. He looked at her hand first then met her eyes. "You're always telling me be the better man, this is me being the better man." He pulled his arm away from her hand gently, and smirked. "I'll be back. Stay with the car, there is a stake in the glove box." And then he was gone.

* * *

"Dammit." Elena growled, and pulled the stake out of the glove box. She noticed that her strength was returning. But her wrists still burned with the ghost of vervain. She had to remember to ask Damon for vervain. She didn't want to be weakened again. She saw Damon come back dragging two very big boys. She got out immediately and helped him with his burden. Damon stopped and stared at her for a moment, and she turned to look to see if he was following. "What?"

Damon shook his head, and hefted the other guy he had, and dropped him next to his trunk, and opened it. "You, that's hard to get used to."

"It seemed natural, but he was heavy." Elena frowned, and helped Damon put the men in his trunk.

"We're not safe here; we need to get out of here." He closed the trunk, and guided Elena to her side of the car, then flashed to his and started the car, and sped out of there.

"Where are we going?" She asked when he was heading away from the Salvatore boarding house.

"They know where I live, it's not safe there. We'll be safer if we head to your house, for now, regroup…then get the hell out of dodge" Damon turned to look at her. Elena was looking at her hands.

"But then Jeremy isn't safe Damon, from me…I mean." She stared at her hands in her lap. Damon reached out and took one hand.

"You're not…" Damon stopped himself at her glare. "I won't let you hurt him." Elena nodded, and wiped away a tear. "Do you trust me?" He whispered. She turned to look at him.

"With my life." Damon pulled his hand away, and put it back on the steering wheel. Elena watched him for a moment, seeing him clutch his jaw. "Damon…"

"Then trust me when I say, that this is only the beginning. Whatever we are fighting is bigger than Klaus…" Damon looked back at her.

Elena gasped at the look on his face "…What are you saying?" Damon turned back to the road.

"Something that one of them said before I ripped out their heart." Damon winced when he saw Elena cringe.

"What did they say?" She asked reaching for his hand.

"That we can't stop it from coming…when I asked what 'it' was…he laughed like a delusional piece of shit…whatever's coming… I heard them say makes Klaus look like a saint." Elena watched, Damon's face pale, and his hands tighten on the steering wheel.

Damon was putting on a brave face, but he looked terrified, and that scared her all the more, Elena swallowed"…Maybe they're wrong."

Damon smirked, and shook his head, still looking at the road. He cleared his throat.

"No – Stefan said that Klaus was still running from something, he was making his hybrids for a reason." Damon pulled into the Gilbert driveway, and cut the engine.

"He didn't want to be alone Damon, that's what he said." Damon shook his head.

"Of course he didn't want to be alone, but there is something more…something that had Klaus scared." Damon held the door open for Elena, and they entered her house.

Matt jumped out at them with a wooden stake, but Damon caught his arm. "It's _us_ Matt." Elena said backing away. Damon took the wooden stake, and tucked it into his jacket pocket.

"What _happened_ to you guys?" Matt asked staring at Damon.

"We were ambushed." Damon walked past Matt, and entered the living room. He heard a gasp, and turned to face Jeremy.

"Is Elena?" Jeremy grabbed Damon's arm, and then released it when Damon stared at his hand.

"Elena's fine." Damon said in a clipped tone.

"Jeremy, can you borrow Damon some clothes…" Elena asked as she walked into the living room.

"….sure." He backed away from them. Damon narrowed his eyes... and followed Jeremy up the stairs. He needed to shower the blood off of him. Elena followed him to her bedroom, and sat heavily on her bed. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and rubbing her temples, "God my head hurts." She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up.

Damon's eyes softened and he smiled sadly "I won't let anyone hurt you Elena…you know that." He was crouched down looking up at her with his beautiful blue eyes.

"That's not what I'm worried about." She whispered, and Damon frowned. He rose and sat next to her on the bed, Elena took his hand in both of hers, and her hands were ice cold. "I'm worried about losing you…" Damon's eyes widened and he turned away.

"I'm going to take a shower…you should too."

"…Damon." But he was already gone.

"Elena…" Jeremy stopped. "What happened?" He approached her slowly.

She held up her hands "Jer…I could hurt you." Jeremy shook his head and walked closer.

"I'll take my chances" Elena moved away from him. "…Elena you're not going to hurt me." Jeremy came closer, and wrapped his arms around her. Elena held her breath, and put her arms around him lightly. When he flinched she realized not light enough and lessoned the grip. "It's okay."

She began to cry, and that's how Damon found them when he stepped out of the bathroom. He quietly closed the door, and went out the other door through Jeremy's bedroom, almost running in to Matt in the process.

"You're just going to leave her with him?" Matt asked crossing his arms.

Damon narrowed his eyes, and looked over his shoulder at the bathroom door. "She needs this, and she can handle it." Damon turned back, to see Matt shift his weight and relax. "Otherwise I'd break it up; she's stronger than she knows." He shrugged, feeling like a complete idiot in Jeremy's clothes, the jeans fit fine, but the kid needed to fill out in the shoulders. Damon pulled at the front of the shirt once trying to stretch it. "This sucks." He walked back into the bathroom, grabbing his shirt and jeans. They just needed to be washed, and he could put them back on. He waited till Elena was done with her shower to wash their clothes together.

"You need to fill out." Damon said while playing a racing game with Jeremy on the sofa.

"Seriously, you're going to tell me that when you're losing the game." Jeremy snorted, and rolled his eyes at the vampire.

Damon rolled his eye in response. "A) I'm not losing, and B) yes, you seriously need to fill out."

"I'm a teenager." He said in response.

"And you're talking to a vampire…don't you think you should be able to protect yourself?" Damon asked as he passed Jeremy in the race at the last second beating him.

"You cheated! You distracted me!" Jeremy shouted at him. Damon just laughed and stood, throwing the remote down, and heading towards the kitchen to check on Elena, what he didn't expect was Jeremy jumping over the sofa and knocking him into the coffee table. Jeremy fell to the ground, and groaned.

"Rule number 1 when you attack a vampire, don't put your head down…we don't fall like human's Jeremy." He stepped over the coffee table, and grabbed Jeremy by the shoulder lifting him to a standing position.

"Yeah, yeah…thanks for the sound advice." Jeremy rolled his shoulder as Elena walked out of the kitchen to see what the fuss was about. "I don't need to fill out, that's an old shirt." He clutched at his shoulder.

"Damon…what did you do." Elena walked over with her hands on her hips.

He snorted, and looked from Jeremy to Elena. "I did nothing, the kid attacked my back…and another thing Jeremy, and if you want to learn to fight… you need to fight." Damon crossed his arms, and felt the shoulders tear in Jeremy's shirt.

"Then why don't you teach me." Jeremy finally let go of his shoulder. Damon eyed it for bruising, seeing none he nodded.

"I'll teach you both…" He looked over at Elena and Matt. "…On one condition. That you _listen_ to me." Jeremy's jaw dropped, he clearly thought that he'd deny training him to fight. But, fact was they needed all the hands they could get. Elena was staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"You can't expect Jeremy and Matt to help us with this Damon…if what you heard is true, and this new evil will make Klaus look like a saint, we're all doomed." Damon clenched his jaw, and stared hard back at her.

"Have it your way, I need some air." He started towards the door, stopping when there was a knock sounding at it. They all turned towards it.

* * *

_And there it is...So how'd I do? Hopefully it was okay, didn't want to send it to a beta to have you waiting all the more :) Please let me know if you'd like me to continue. Love, Blue_


	11. Chapter 11 - What's happening to me?

**Summary:** "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He compelled her to forget their first meeting, and to forget his first "I love you." But what happens when Elena remembers everything?Takes place during 3x22 and right after; what if Elena loses memory of the night and thinks that Stefan drove her off Wickery Bridge. How will that impact S/E and how will that help D/E. Delena story.

**Pairing:** Damon and Elena

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or its characters.

* * *

**A/N**

**Hello All! Wow! Thank you so much for all the reviews. They mean so much to me. I'm finally back with the next chapter. Had a big problem with my internet with all the crazy winter storms around us, and couldn't get on at all for the last couple weeks. But I'm here now, and I can finally post this...so yay! Please leave me a review, and let me know how I did. Thanks again so much, and I will try and personally respond as well. Much Love, and enjoy! Love Blue**

* * *

**Chapter 11 – What's happening to me?**

Damon stopped, rolling his shoulders. Dammit! He needed to get the hell out of there before he snapped. Another knock sounded, and he composed himself. He was closest to the door.

He turned around, his eyes locking with Elena's. She nodded, and left the room. Elena was supposed to be out of town that was the going story for them anyway. Although she had been out in public it had only been to the cemetery and never to town. Damon approached the door with caution, and listened carefully, they were human. He pulled open the curtain slightly and looked out. Three of Sheriff Forbes deputies stood on the front porch. He sighed, and putting on his best fake grin, Damon opened the door.

"Well hello gentlemen" He said with fake politeness. He really just wanted to kill all three of them and call it a day. But he steeled his temper, and smiled.

"Is Elena here?" The Older of the three officers cocked his head to the side, and stared into the Gilberts living room. Damon didn't move out of the way, so it made it very difficult to see the stairs from their vantage point.

"No, Mike. Can I help you with something?" Jeremy stepped forward to address the officers.

"Ahh…this is kind of an adult matter." The older officer's eyes flicked between Damon and Jeremy.

"Do you know how we can reach her?" Mike asked.

Damon smirked. "She's a bit preoccupied at the moment. She and my brother went out of town for the weekend. I'm baby-sitting." Damon put an arm around Jeremy's shoulders, and Jeremy shrugged it off, turning to glare in Damon's direction.

Jeremy rolled his eyes, and advanced in the officer's direction. "She's a year older than I am." Jeremy pressed on. "If you can tell her, then you can tell me." Jeremy said crossing his arms, and he did look older.

"Jeremy, I'm afraid we have some bad news in regards to your guardian. If you have a way to reach your sister, then we're going to need you to do it. You can have her give us a call down at the station." Mike explained gently.

"Sure," Jeremy nodded. "I'll see if I can call her." He turned away from the door, and walked back the dining room. Damon slowly stepped back nodding at the officers.

"Damon do you have any way to reach your brother or Elena?" Chris the other officer asked. Damon stepped out onto the deck with them albeit cautiously, he wasn't sure if they knew what he was, and although he was pissed, he didn't want to kill them.

"I'm afraid not, Chris, they're out of cell phone range" He said raising his eyebrow at him. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay, thank you Damon. Ahh…are you hanging around here?" He asked shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Yes, sir. As I said, watching the kid here." Damon shrugged, pointing his jaw towards the door.

"Good." Damon nodded, and took a step back. "Has, Sheriff Forbes updated you on the…incident." Damon's eyes darkened, but he nodded.

"Yes." Damon tried for nonchalant, but failed miserably. God he missed Ric. Damn him to hell. He growled internally. "It's a tragedy; he was a…good friend." Damon cleared his throat.

"That he was." Chris nodded sadly. Chris had drunk with the both of them on several occasions. He knew of what they did, but he didn't know what he was. Damon smiled sadly, nodded at the officers, and closed the door.

He sighed, and leaned his hand against the door dropping his head. His earlier anger fizzled out, and now only sadness remained. He shook it off, and turned to see Jeremy standing slumped against the entrance to the dining room door. Although already knowing about Ric it was hard to relive it.

Damon walked forward slowly, and he grasped Jeremy's shoulder. Turning him to face him, he took in his demeanor and was about to say that he needed a drink when Jeremy roughly rubbed his face.

"I think I need a drink." Jeremy dropped his hands and cleared his throat.

Damon shook his head, and followed him into the kitchen he opened the cabinet, and pushed aside a few things. He knew where Alaric's stash was. He took down two glasses and poured a glass of bourbon and handed it to him. Jeremy Gilbert was no longer a kid, well at least the kid that he had first met. His lips twisted into a smirk. "Thought, you'd like one too." Jeremy filled his glass again and downed the amber liquid wincing. Jeremy turned vacantly to his side, and nodded. Damon watched Jeremy nod at something.

Damon cleared his throat, looking at Jeremy. "Ric's here?" he asked pitching his voice low.

"Yeah, how do you think I knew where the stash was?" Jeremy smirked.

Damon smirked. "You're setting a bad example, Ric." Damon turned and shook his head. He could almost hear him, as he left the kitchen to the living room.

* * *

Another knock sounded on the door, and Damon went to retrieve it. As soon as he opened it, a disheveled looking Caroline hurried through. "What the hell happened to you?" Damon asked, closing the door behind her.

"What the hell didn't happen to me?" She glared at him. Then her eyes narrowed. "What are you wearing?" Caroline realized that Damon was clad in something that Jeremy might be caught wearing.

"We've had a bit of trouble ourselves, now what happened to you?" Damon crossed his arms.

"I was ambushed; someone threw a vervain soaked hood over my head, and threw me in the trunk of their car. But it wasn't enough, I got away." She flopped down on the sofa in the room.

"We were ambushed as well." Damon shrugged.

"So that's why you're wearing something that closely resembles Jeremy's clothes?" Caroline snickered, and Damon rolled his eyes. He caught Jeremy laughing too and shot him a glare.

* * *

The sound of retching coming from the bathroom upstairs had Damon blurring up the stairs.

"Elena!" Damon shouted, and came to a halt by the bathroom door Elena was kneeling on the floor, her head resting on the lid of the toilet.

"Damon…" She sniffed, back a sob. "Something's wrong." And she tipped over, but her head never touched the ground as he caught her quickly enough. He scooped her up into his arms, and brought her into her bedroom.

"What's wrong with her?" Caroline asked from beside him. Damon covered her up, to her shoulders ignoring the question, until Caroline grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. "Damon!"

"How should I know?" He ripped his arm from her grip frowning down at Elena, who was unconscious on the bed.

"Vampires don't just pass out Damon, not unless we've been vervained or bitten by a hybrid or werewolf!" Damon nodded, and narrowed his eyes at her.

"We both were vervained, but it should be out of her system now. This is something else." He was frowning, and he reached to pick up Elena's wrist. Her pulse was steady, but she was warm, like she had a fever.

"Were you around any hybrids?" She asked. Damon leveled her a stare.

"Yes, but they didn't know she was a vampire. They just vervained her, and knocked her out she said." He struggled to understand.

"Maybe, it's because she just turned? My body didn't like being vervained either." She folded her arms over her chest, and Damon nodded.

"Maybe." Damon turned on his heel, and went into the bathroom to moisten a washcloth for her forehead.

"She's burning up Damon." He placed the washcloth on her forehead, and caressed the side of her cheek, noting how warm she was.

Damon rolled his eyes, "I know that Caroline…and no I don't know what is happening. I need you to help me fill the bath we need to bring her temperature down." Caroline nodded, and flashed off to the bathroom, and he heard the bath start. She came back with some aspirin.

"It's not going to work _Caroline_ our bodies are much different after they have turned." He said tersely, and lifted Elena off her bed.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Caroline growled, when Damon started to strip her.

"Putting her in the bath, it's much easier to bathe with your clothes off." He growled, and shoved her back with his free arm when she tried to interfere. "Back OFF!" He hissed, and she stepped back in fear. "I'm trying to save her life; sex is the last thing on my mind!" He took the last of her clothes off leaving her bra and panties on, and lifted her, testing the water before placing her into it. At least Caroline hadn't made the water hot it would have defeated the purpose. Damon pulled down a bath towel, and placed it over Elena's chest. He dried his hands, and turned to face Caroline. She had left, and was sitting in Elena's room on her bed, her face in her hands.

"She's not a doll for you to undress Damon." Caroline was wiping her eyes as she huffed getting up to stand, and walk closer to him.

Damon looked at Elena one last time before stepping into Elena's bedroom. "I know that!" He snapped. Caroline swallowed in fear, and took a step back. "I know that." He said calmer now, he looked behind him back into the bathroom. "I will not let anything or anyone hurt her." He turned back, and Caroline stepped back another step at the intensity of his stare. He did not dare to walk further into Elena's room for fear that Elena would go under the bath water.

Caroline clasped her hands in front of her raising them to her chest. "She's my best friend Damon, my sister, I love her." She walked forward, tears brimming in her eyes. Damon looked away, he hated when women cried.

He sighed, shaking his head, and he let his guard down, letting her see what he normally only shows Elena. "I love her…Caroline…"

Caroline was accessing him, and she sighed "In your –"Damon grabbed her shoulders roughly, but still kept his guard down, his emotions nearly suffocating him. He hated this vulnerability but he loved Elena. Why didn't they see that!

Through clenched teeth he spoke in a low, and cool tone "Listen to me when I tell you I will never let anyone harm her…I am not leaving her side, and I'll be damned if I have a newbie vampire tell me I will love her my way! You have no idea how I feel about her, so back off, step back or do whatever it is you do, because I'm done listening to you!" He threw her back, and flashed back into the bathroom, shutting the door. He sighed, leaning against it closing his eyes as they burned behind his lids.

He didn't know how much more he could take. He usually would have snapped by now. He leaned his head against the door and looked at the ceiling…Dammit!

He heard a knock on the door. "Damon" Oh for the love of…

He closed his eyes, and pushed away from the door, preparing to rip it off the hinges, "Damon?" Elena's soft voice stopped him; he turned ignoring whoever was on the other side of the door. "Damon…what's wrong?" Elena asked softly, looking down at the towel covering her, and shivering slightly.

Damon slowly dropped to his knees by the bath tub; it was a tight fit between that and the toilet. He took her hand, and brought her fingers to his lips. He swallowed.

"Damon?" He opened his eyes, and gave her a shy sad smile. Whoa that was different.

"Why do you think something's always wrong?" He smirked, but it fell short, and who the hell was he kidding. He sighed and shook his head. Best to try honesty he thought. The fuck? "Oh you know, the usually, Judgy friends, witchy friends…girls passing out…our normal everyday life." He gave her a sad crooked smile, and sighed. He didn't let go of her hand, and kissed her fingers again.

"I'm sorry. They don't see what I see." She put her hand on his cheek, and he leaned into it. "Want me to snap their necks." She grinned, and Damon rolled his eyes, covering his surprise. Normally, she'd tell him to be the better man.

"Nah, I can do that on my own." He shrugged, but she just smiled. He must be doing better than he thought, at keeping it together.

"Damon what's happening to me?" She whispered, and he took her hand, and held it to his chest.

"That's what I'm determined to figure out…" He whispered, he dropped his face to his hand, and rubbed at his forehead squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't think, he'd been up and going…and like it or not. Vampires too needed sleep.

"I'm sorry." Damon looked up, and Elena gasped at the burning intensity that showed in his very blue eyes.

"You're sorry?" He sighed, and shook his head. "Elena…" He closed his eyes, and clenched his jaw. "…you have nothing to be sorry for." He opened his eyes, and stared at her. She shook her head, and leaned forward to cradle his face in her hands, she brushed her soft fingers under his eyes.

"Yes. Yes I do. In the last few day's I've managed, to make the wrong choice, and get myself killed, tear you and your brother apart, get some seriously strange vampire disease…and worry you. Think that about sums it up?" She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling, but she knew that she couldn't fool Damon.

He sighed, and pulled the shirt he was wearing over his head, and step out of Jeremy's jeans. Then quickly sliding into the tub behind her, he wraps his arms around her stomach pulling her against his chest. He pulled in a sharp intake of air at the temp of the water; he nuzzled his chin onto her shoulder, and breathed in her scent.

"This water is freezing, and so are you." He whispered in her ear, and bites on her earlobe gently. He lets out some water, and turns on the hot water. Warming it up for the both of them, she leans back against his chest, not complaining at all she notices he's still wearing his boxers.

Why'd he put her in cold water, she thinks to herself. "Why's the water cold?" she replies.

"You were burning up." Damon whispers, and nuzzles his nose into her neck, sniffing. She's sure he's checking her for vervain or just something he relaxes once again.

"Burning up? Damon, what's happening to me? Why can't I keep any blood down?" She asks and she feels him shake his head.

He tenderly kisses her under her ear in the sweet spot, and pulls her closer. "I don't know babe, but we'll figure it out." Elena pulls his hand up and kisses it. "What's that for?" He whispers,

"For being here, for not…leaving when I know you just wanted to get the hell out of here." She turns to look at him, and watches the emotion play across his face. His eyes are intense, swimming with emotion that she can't place.

"I'm not used to all this Elena…I'm not, I'm not the good guy." He swallows at that, and she watches him struggle for more to say.

"Even bad boy's can be sweet Damon." He opens his eyes and smiles sadly.

"I can be the bad boy." He whispers, suggestively and kisses her neck, and flattens his hand against her belly. "God…I love you." He whispers. She's seriously turned him into a sap.

"I love you to, will you stay?" She asks. And he nods. He helps her dry off, and she wraps a towel around herself. His clothes from earlier are done, but he borrows a pair of sweat pants from Jeremy for the night.

Elena's already in bed when he reenters. But not sleeping. "I thought you'd be asleep." He whispers, as he climbs in beside her, and pulls her close.

"I wanted to wait for you." She nuzzles her head against his chest making herself comfortable. Her hand finding purchase on his chest, she began running her fingers softly against his chest earning a content sigh from Damon.

"Did you now." He murmurs, and Elena looks up and sees that his eyes are playful.

"I did." She smiles, and continues to trace gentle fingers on his chest. He catches her hand, and holds it against his heart. She leans up on her elbow to look at him, and his eyes are closed. She reaches up with her free hand and caresses his cheek. "I love you Damon, thank you for staying. Please hold me." He obliges and holds her tightly, his breathing picks up, and he kisses her temple.

"Elena…" He steels himself, he'll never get used to hearing those three words from her. He tightens his arms around her; she's lying across his chest. "…I love you more than you know." He pulls her up, and leaves her breathless as he kisses her wishing he could do so much more to her at the moment. But he knew he shouldn't, not in this weakened state.

* * *

Thank you for reading, and please leave me a review :)


	12. Chapter 12

Hey All! Thank you so much for staying with me and continuing to read. I question for you all. Since we are so late in the season… I'm wondering with my story… do you want me to jump ahead? Not much…just a little? It's doable… but, my storyline, and TVD IS different. I'm NOT doing the Sire and all that… Damon and Elena you are going to get the real deal… ups and downs, their love, and adventure…can't have a story without that right?

But my story this next chapter will begin mid season 4… is that okay? My storyline is a skeleton to the actual story line of TVD. I said earlier I'm not doing the sire bond, what Elena feels for Damon…she feels…as it should be right… Right? The rest..will come as it comes. I just want to get your opinion. It's written… I just want to know what you want? Honestly I don't know how to create a poll… If you do… PM me please… Next chapter will be up today… Thanks for reading! Love Blue

UPDATE!

Thanks Everyone! We will have an update soon, just having difficulty getting uploaded, and copy and paste not going good either. But look for an update here shortly.

Love,

Blue


End file.
